Wayne Mardle reveals why Luke Littler has left darts rivals quaking in their boots ahead of World Championships

WAYNE MARDLE has revealed wherefore Luke Littler has near darts rivals quaking successful their boots up of the World Championship.

Littler, 17, is 1 of the favourites to clinch this year’s rubric portion avenging his debut last decision to Luke Humphries.

The teen has enjoyed a meteoric emergence up the rankings successful his archetypal twelvemonth connected tour.

Littler was crowned the Premier League champion aft immoderate unthinkable play displays.

And helium goes into the Worlds as victor of the Grand Prix aft a barnstorming triumph implicit Martin Lukeman successful Sunday’s final.

Littler has present changeable up the charts to beryllium listed No5 successful the satellite rankings portion taking his vocation net to implicit £1million.

As a result, erstwhile pro Mardle present reckons the youngster is the antheral to bushed astatine Ally Pally adjacent month.

The Sky Sports pundit feels immoderate of Littler’s performances astatine the Grand Prix were 2nd to none.

And Mardle adds the instrumentality favourite indispensable beryllium considered favourite to triumph the Worlds… particularly if rival Humphries crashes retired early.

Mardle said: “Coming into this, it was Luke Humphries, he’s the antheral to beat, he’s the 1 that they’ve each got to kid of get escaped of and get retired of the draw.

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“Now it’s Luke Littler and if Littler oregon Humphries goes retired aboriginal successful the Worlds, the different 1 goes arsenic the favourite immediately.

“The mode that Luke Littler has played this week, helium was playable. At times it was unplayable — particularly with Martin Lukeman and against Jermaine Wattemina.

“But 2 players person had a close bully spell astatine trying to bushed him and conscionable failed.

“It’s not that they can’t bushed Luke, it’s conscionable the information that helium someway finds a mode to get implicit the line.

“And successful the long-format World Championship, he’s going to beryllium hard to beat, helium truly is, and the different players cognize that.”

Mardle besides reckons Littler has already established himself arsenic 1 of the top players successful darts’ history.

He added: “The mode we saw him acquit himself each azygous week successful the Premier League was mind-blowing, it was mesmerising.

“It’s a existent pugnacious ask, truthful hard week in, week out. But erstwhile you are bully enough, nary of that matters, and Littler’s bully enough.

“He’s close up determination with immoderate of the champion we’ve ever seen, but he’s got to bash it again and again and again.

“He’s close up determination with Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Raymond van Barneveld and Eric Bristow, for me.”