Luke Littler makes vow to Ally Pally darts fans over new £60k nine-darter prize

Alexandra Palace volition erstwhile again play centre signifier for the PDC World Championships adjacent period but this twelvemonth Paddy Power person added an other furniture of excitement for watching fans

Luke Littler volition pb the complaint for a nine-dart £180,000 bonus astatine Ally Pally and told fans: “I privation to marque you rich.”

At the Paddy Power PDC World Championship, which begins connected December 15, Luke the Nuke volition play either women’s trailblazer Fallon Sherrock oregon Ryan Meikle successful the 2nd round. Littler and defending world champion Luke Humphries cannot conscionable successful different imagination last due to the fact that they were seeded successful the aforesaid fractional of Monday night’s gully successful London.

But the 17-year-old lad wonder’s eyes lit up arsenic the rubric sponsor announced an inducement for him to interruption the grounds for astir nine-darters successful a calendar year. Paddy Power volition divided a £180,000 bonus 3 ways - £60,000 each to the player, Prostate Cancer foundation and a spectator selected randomly from the assemblage - for each cleanable limb astatine the tournament.

And Littler, presently connected 4 nine-darters successful 2024, equalling Gerwyn Price’s record, believes helium volition beryllium the antheral to assistance astatine slightest 1 instrumentality deed the jackpot. The caller satellite No.4 came adjacent to a cleanable limb astatine some the Grand Slam and Players Championship finals and helium said: “When you are playing that well, you tin consciousness it - you tin consciousness yourself hitting that treble 12 (often the dart to clinch a nine-darter).

"There is simply a spot of wealth to beryllium earned if the cleanable limb does spell successful and, yes, I privation to interruption the record. I request to bash it, I privation to effort and deed that 5th 1 of the year. It doesn’t person to beryllium maine – but I would similar it to be.

“First of all, you person got to win. But If a nine-darter comes with it, oregon the large checkouts, truthful overmuch the better. I privation to deed the 9 for my ain involvement - and making a punter affluent is what would travel with it.”

If Sherrock, who became Queen of the Palace 5 years agone erstwhile she shocked Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic to scope the 3rd round, beats satellite No.62 Meikle for the close to look past January’s beaten finalist, Littler admitted: “I don’t cognize whose broadside the assemblage would beryllium on.”

Meikle should prevail to onshore the aureate ticket, but the Humphries-Littler rivalry - stoked by Cool Hand Luke’s triumph successful Minehead astatine the play - tin lone spell arsenic acold arsenic the semi-finals astatine Ally Pally if some players scope the past four. And Humphries is gladsome they stay the champion of enemies, contempt him trashing a 16-year-old’s fairytale successful the satellite title final.

He said: “We're conscionable enjoying the infinitesimal of being 2 of the champion players successful the world. The magnitude of wealth that's connected connection successful the PDC present tin alteration your life, truthful it's benignant of silly to person animosity betwixt each other. We're conscionable riding the wave.

“Sure, erstwhile we play each other, we privation to bushed each different - but that’s it. We person that relationship disconnected the signifier and we besides person the relationship connected it, but it's inactive a fierce rivalry.” Humphries volition statesman his defence connected the opening nighttime against either Frenchman Thibaut Tricole oregon Aussie Joe Comito - and helium could look five-times satellite champion Raymond van Barneveld successful the 3rd round.