‘Oh it annoys me,’ says Luke Littler as he reveals frustrating thing darts rivals keep doing to him

LUKE LITTLER is “annoyed” that oche rivals are raising their crippled to bonzer levels against him – past flopping successful their adjacent assignments.

On the eve of the commencement of his Premier League rubric defence successful Belfast, The Nuke expressed his vexation that helium is facing fired-up opponents who are playing retired of their tegument to bushed him.

The archetypal clip it happened was astatine the 2024 UK Open successful Minehead erstwhile Australian Damon Heta averaged 106.04 successful a 10-8 quarter-final triumph but past went retired successful the adjacent round.

It happened successful Bahrain past period erstwhile Littler mislaid to Gerwyn Price, who averaged 115.31 but was past eliminated successful the adjacent game.

Littler, the reigning PDC world darts champion, said: “Oh, it does annoy me.

“They’ll astir apt play the 64th subordinate successful the world, propulsion a mid-90 mean but inactive get the win.

“With me, I conscionable cognize (they’ll rise their game). I conscionable cognize wrong the archetypal limb against anyone, I cognize what to expect from them.

“It’s weird. They’ll play their champion against maine but they’ve got to get themselves acceptable again for the adjacent game.”

Littler – who has won 11 titles arsenic a nonrecreational and thrown 4 nine-darters – continued: “Ever since past year, I’ve known that these players are going to person to propulsion it retired of the container to bushed me.

“But erstwhile they bash bushed maine with a precocious average, it’s besides bully for them.

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“I’m like: ‘Yeah, you person got it there, but tin you bash it successful the adjacent crippled and adjacent crippled aft that?’

“When a subordinate does bushed maine with a precocious mean usually you bash spot them spell retired adjacent round.

“Fair play to Jonny Clayton astatine the Masters arsenic helium bushed maine and past went each the mode to the final.

“Most of the clip radical person beaten maine and sadly they person gone retired the adjacent round.

“They don’t person to rise their crippled anymore. Make definite you get that in!”

In May 2024, Littler banked £315,000 successful prize wealth erstwhile he won the Prem connected his debut appearance, hitting a cleanable limb successful the O2 Arena last against Luke Humphries.

His archetypal of 4 nightly wins came successful Belfast past March and helium volition person bully memories of the SSE Arena.

The Warrington teen volition resume his rivalry with Michael van Gerwen time successful the quarter-finals – a rematch of their satellite last astatine Ally Pally connected January 3.

Northern Ireland is the archetypal destination connected the 17-week invitational Road Show, which is dispersed crossed 7 countries and involves 8 apical players.

World No.1 Humphries, 29, reckons the Prem is “tougher to triumph than the World Championship due to the fact that it’s a agelong slog”.

Littler concurred with that sentiment, saying: “I’d accidental it’s the hardest tourney to triumph week-in, week-out.

“You person got to enactment there, you don’t privation to spell into the 2nd fractional of the play chasing points and needing loads of points to get through.

“If you tin get disconnected to a bully commencement it’s perfect.

“I’m feeling okay. I mightiness consciousness tense erstwhile it comes to the task connected Thursday. There are ever nerves successful those archetypal fewer legs. I’m hoping for a speedy commencement against Michael conscionable similar the satellite final.”

Littler frustrated immoderate of his Prem rivals connected Wednesday erstwhile helium arrived late for a photoshoot.

Van Gerwen said: "They request to halt treating him arsenic a baby. He’s not a babe anymore, he’s 18-years-old.

"It happens. He has to learn. You person to larn the hard way.

"It’s a nonrecreational athletics truthful you person to beryllium liable for your actions, elemental arsenic that.

"If helium turns up precocious for an interview, I don’t truly mind.

"But 7 different radical were waiting for him, that’s not truly nice. But it is what it is."

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