TEARY Luke Littler admits his nerves were so bad on Saturday night that he walked on stage and thought: ‘I don’t want to be here.’
The pressure of being the World Championship favourite only hit the 17-year-old wonderkid when he returned to the world-famous oche after a near 12-month absence.
The enormity of what he achieved last time – making it all the way to the final on his debut – and throughout this year suddenly struck him when he saw the Ally Pallyt fans again.
Though he managed to prevail, beating Ryan Meikle 3-1 with a record-set average of 140.91 in set four, Littler was vulnerable in the early throws.
This was due to the crippling nerves he felt and he said: “As soon as the referee said ‘Game On’ the bottom has gone.”
It is why he burst into tears and had to cut short a post-game Sky Sports TV interview before needing the embrace of his parents.
The fact he managed to produce that burst of electricity and magnificence when under the cosh is why we have spoken so much about him this season.
Littler explained: “That game was probably the most important game I have ever played.
“All week I was looking forward and excited to play on the stage with no nerves.
“The train journey down here was fine.
“Then, as soon as I got on that stage, it was like: ‘I don’t want to be here.’ In my head, it was tough. But I just dragged myself over the line.
“Your first game, as a seed or non-seed, it’s the most important thing of this tournament because you can then relax.
READ MORE on all the build-up to the Ally Pally extravaganza...
All the info:
News, features and interviews:
“Certainly I know I’ll relax for my next game.
“Throughout the game there were nerves. That last set I pulled it out of somewhere. It takes a lot of pressure to get over the line.
“The first time I’d felt nerves on the Tour like that was the Premier League in Cardiff against Luke (Humphries). Throughout the year, it has been fine.”
Littler – the first seed to record a 100-plus average in round two – needs one more nine-darter before December 31 to set a PDC circuit record of five for a calendar year.
He came close to nailing that in the penultimate leg but missed the double 12, much to the agony of the fans.
Paddy Power are giving out £180,000 whenever that happens – £60,000 to the player, £60,000 to charity and £60,000 to one punter in the room.
Littler said: “I was told a camera had spun round to the fan who was going to win it.
“I don’t know who he is. I don’t want to know who he is! I’m sorry!
“To join the nine-dart club in the world championships would be great.
“I know there have been plenty of names over the years who have done it. But the most important thing was winning that game.”
Littler will now chill out in Warrington in a new mansion that has been bought by the money – more than £1million – he has earned on the oche in an extraordinary 2024.
Interestingly, he is acutely aware of the action taking place in North London and not cocooning himself.
He says he has watched every session of the Champs apart from Tuesday night when he received the runner-up award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year in Salford.
The next two rounds will be the best of seven sets and should not be as nervy or pressurised as what we saw over the weekend.
The Nuke said: “I know what I can produce, I know what I have produced all year, it has been the best darts of my life.
“The experience has been absolutely amazing. I don’t think I can get more experienced as it comes.
“With the longer format, I know I will have time to settle. I think everyone knows I am usually a quick starter.”
BELOW is a list of Darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
Most World Titles
NICO PAZ has admitted he was “too ashamed” to speak to Lionel Messi when he trained with him.
The midfielder made his Argentina debut in October in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Paz, 20, made an assist for Messi during the 6-0 victory and was hailed by the former Barcelona star afterwards.
Messi claimed that the Como star can “continue to grow” and that her “understands the game perfectly”.
He added: “I hope he continues like this.
“He played, he enjoyed it and I think he’ll feel comfortable in this team because he likes having the ball.”
Despite the kind words, Paz had admitted that he first met Messi when he was 17 years old.
The midfielder trained with the Argentine national team when he was in the youth side.
He revealed that he was “too ashamed” to try and speak to Messi and got “nervous” when seeing him.
He told DAZN: “I had met him once before, when I was 17 years old, with the U20s, in a training session with the senior national team.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
“This was the second time I saw him, but the first time I was in the locker room with him.
“I didn’t talk to him, I was too ashamed.
“I get nervous when I see him.”
Since then, Paz has become one of the most promising midfielders in Europe.
After progressing through the youth academy at Real Madrid, he made the bold decision to leave in August.
He joined Serie A newcomers Como in a £5million transfer and has become a key player for manager Cesc Fabregas.
This season, he has made 15 appearances in Serie A, scoring two goals and assisting three more.
TOTTENHAM have given Ange Postecoglou the green light to sign a goalkeeper from the EFL, according to reports.
Spurs have been without No1 Guglielmo Vicario since November when he was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Fraser Forster came into the side as his replacement but has made mistakes, including passing the ball to a Manchester United attacker in his own box in the Carabao Cup.
Tottenham are ready to bring in another keeper and have identified Burnley stoppe James Trafford as their first choice target, report The Mirror.
Postecoglou has reportedly been given the green light to make a move for Trafford, who could cost £20million.
Trafford received his first call-up to the England senior squad last month and boasts 19 Under-21 caps.
He joined Burnley in the summer of 2023 and made 28 Premier League appearances last season.
His performances attracted the attention of Newcastle but they were unable to agree a deal with Liverpool.
Vicario is expected to be out injured for a few more months, so Fraser will deputies unless a replacement is found.
Spurs have also looked at Sunderland‘s young keeper Anthony Patterson as well as Sheffield Wednesday rookie Pierce Charles.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Postecoglou is happy enough with Forster in the mean time, despite his mistake against United.
He said: “He’s disappointed as well, because he was outstanding for us. He didn’t have a lot to do before then. And even the first half, I thought he was really good with his feet.
“The first one probably affected his confidence a little bit. He lost a bit of belief, and that second one just compounded it. But he’s a big boy and is another one that’s stood up for us big-time in this period. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
CHRISTMAS is a time for sharing gifts, food, merriment, kisses under the mistletoe – and your Wi-Fi.
Of course, the more people there are under one roof, the more pressure is placed on your bandwidth.
To avoid disaster – or, not being able to tune into the final Gavin & Stacy special on Christmas day without iPlayer buffering – follow these four essential tips.
First, make sure your router is elevated – but not too high.
Roughly 1 to 1.5ft high on a table or shelf is ideal.
Although make sure to avoid putting it on a shelf that is too enclosed.
This can not only block the signal but also cause the box to overheat.
Make sure your Christmas tree isn’t blocking it either – you want it to have a good line of sight with your devices.
Try moving the router around and testing the signal on different devices to find the perfect spot for a strong connection.
Christmas lights are a common but perhaps unexpected blockade on your internet signal.
These twinkling lights create an electromagnetic field, which can block your router’s Wi-Fi signals.
The more lights you have, the stronger the field they create.
This is especially the case if they lead to a big bundle of wires.
Because Wi-Fi routers are emitting electromagnetic radiation, having the two gadgets next to each other can create a clash.
It’s the same reason your microwave, wireless speakers or even a baby monitor might also interfere with your internet strength.
The frosty weather can urge you to turn the thermostat up, light the fire or even drag out a space heater.
But be cautious that an overheating router will produce slow speeds – which is why it’s worth keeping it away from a radiator or fireplace.
Radiators are bad news not least because they emit heat, but also because they are metal.
Metal, as well as water and glass, can block Wi-Fi signals and stop them from reaching your devices.
For this same reason, it’s best to steer clear of the kitchen when moving your router.
Although the kitchen is usually full of festive action, it is also brimming with Wi-Fi-blocking objects, like the microwave, oven, fridge, or a Bluetooth speaker.
Even the water in the taps can interfere with a sturdy signal.
Avoid placing your router near these...
SEE if you have the eyes of a hawk by attempting to solve this puzzle in record time.
Only those with perfect vision and a high IQ can find the ace card in less than seven seconds.
The creators at Online Solitaire have brought the festive cheer with this Christmas party scene.
But where is the Ace card?
Set your timer and see how long it takes you to find it.
There are plenty of things to see in the image which will keep you distracted from your task.
This is what such seek-and-find puzzles rely on so ensure you stay focused.
There are lots of people dancing around a Christmas tree with a man dressed as Santa spinning a girl in circles and plenty of food and drink.
While there are many things that are easy to find, the ace card is not.
The creators of this image have used colour to make this more challenging.
If you need some help, the ace card is blue, making it blend in seamlessly with the blue dancefloor, table, clothes and Christmas decorations.
If you are struggling, here is a handy trick that could help.
Often, the different elements of a brainteaser are too distracting and it helps to minimise your search area.
To do so, divide the image into smaller sections that are more manageable to search.
Then, thoroughly examine each section looking for smaller details that could lead you to the ace card.
By the time you have searched all sections, you should have found it.
Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions.
Some benefits include:
While this method may seem time-consuming, it could be quicker in the long run as you are tackling the puzzle methodically.
So, have you found the card?
Scroll down to find the solution below when you are ready.
There are numerous health benefits to regularly practising such puzzles, so now your brain is warmed up, have a go at these challenges below.
And if you are in the mood for another festive puzzle, see if you can spot the odd one out in this winter brainteaser.
THIS is the moment a massive Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian oil depot sends bright orange sparks flying through the night sky.
Another key Vladimir Putin facility has been targeted by Ukraine’s fearless military with the latest attacks creating a doomsday-style blast.
Russia’s Steel Horse depot in Oryol has been a constant marked zone in the ongoing conflict for the Ukrainians.
The giant facility has already been hit three separate times in the past with the latest attack having apocalyptic visual results.
Footage from overnight shows the moment a bright orange flash of light erupts over the depot.
Vlad’s air defences quickly scrambled to try to defend the strategic facility but it was set ablaze in the blast.
The Governor of Oryol region, Andrey Klychkov, warned his residents of a “massive enemy UAV attack” moments before the depot was hit.
He urged everyone to “please remain calm” as drones continued to be flown over the area.
He is yet to confirm any casualties or if anyone was injured in the coordinated strikes.
Russia claimed to have shot down 20 drones over the Oryol region in total.
Despite the footage clearly showing one of the drones had found its target, Putin’s cronies in the defence ministry said they stopped the UAVs entirely.
They said: ”Last night an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using unmanned aerial vehicles against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped.”
Putin also confirmed the attacks will only bring more “destruction” to Ukraine.
He added: “Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country.”
The Steel Horse supplies oil to Vlad’s armed forces and also links to the Druzhba pipeline which helps filter Russian oil into Europe.
Only a week ago it was also hit with a successful strike leaving a roaring fire burning on for several days.
Footage showed huge orange flames crash through the night sky as thick black plumes of smoke billowed.
A massive white flash was also captured in the video as the strike ripped through the oil site.
Over the weekend, Ukraine has been unleashing hoards of drone strikes on their enemy.
Footage shows a deadly drone flying into the 37-floor and 400ft Azure skies residential tower before erupting into flames.
Elsewhere, a Ukrainian dragon drone spewed flesh-melting thermite onto a cowering Russian bunker.
The 2,500C mixture pours out of the drone at the entrance of the hideout before the craft is consumed by fire.
Anyone caught underneath the iron oxide and aluminium combination would be burned to death.
Putin hit back as he fired a terrifying wave of hypersonic missiles in a chilling revenge strike.
The attack targeted civilian areas in the capital Kyiv with deadly destruction also left across multiple districts.
The attack was made up of air-launched Kinzhal, or Dagger, hypersonic missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles.
It was seen as Putin’s revenge for the assassination of the dictator’s top nuclear defence general in Moscow on Tuesday.
VLADIMIR Putin waged a murderous invasion on his neighbouring country in 2022, following years of heated Russian and Ukrainian tension.
24 February 2022: Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with an invasion of the eastern territory of Donbas. Explosions were also reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa
25 February 2022: Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky and his team posted a video following rumours they had fled the country.
16 March 2022: Russia blitzed Mariupol’s Drama Theater where around 1,300 civilians were sheltering.
1 September 2022: Russian forces flee the eastern Kharkiv region following a strong Ukrainian counteroffensive.
21 September 2022: Putin announced a controversial partial mobilization to draft soldiers, the country’s first since World War Two.
12 November 2022: The city of Kherson, in the south of Ukraine, was liberated after an eight-month occupation.
21 December 2022: Zelensky travels to Washington D.C. to meet President Joe Biden and address Congress.
25 January 2023: Germany approves sending tanks to Ukraine
20 February 2023: US President Joe Biden makes a surprise visit to Kyiv for the first time since the invasion began.
23 June 2023: Russian mercenaries stage a mutiny attempt with the paramilitary organization Wagner.
24 June 2023: The shortlived Wagner Group march to Moscow and the coup attempt ends.
27 August 2023: Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was confirmed dead in a plane crash.
8 February 2024: Zelensky replaces his top army leader Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
20 April 2024: US House of Representatives approves a huge foreign aid package for Ukraine.
6 August 2024: Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region.
19 November 2024: Ukraine fires several long-range US-supplied missiles into Russia for the first time.
21 November 2024: Putin’s forces fire new ballistic missiles into Ukraine for the first time.
MULTIPLE women are set to come forward and accuse a murder suspect of sexual assault when the trial over the death of two women dumped outside LA hospitals begins next month.
Film producer David Pearce was charged in connection with the November 2021 deaths of model Christy Giles, 24, and interior designer Hilda Cabrales-Arzola, 26, who tragically lost their lives to drug overdoses after a night out in Los Angeles.
Their bodies were cruelly left outside two separate LA hospitals – Giles died at the scene, and Cabrales-Arzola spent time in the ICU before passing away – and Pearce was arrested a month later.
Pearce, now 40, was charged in July 2022 with two counts of murder and two charges relating to controlled substances.
He pleaded not guilty but remains behind bars.
Friend and actor Brandt Osborn, who has appeared in NCIS and Nurse Jackie, was charged with two counts of accessory after the fact.
Osborn has continually pleaded innocence and was released on a $40,000 bond.
The trial, which begins on January 6, promises to be a heart-breaking affair for the shattered families of the two women who are desperate for justice to be served.
But legal analyst Kelly Hyman has told The U.S. Sun there will be “at least seven Jane Does” who are ready to testify in the criminal case and reveal the alleged perpetrator had a sickening dark history of sexual abuse.
In her exhaustive, bombshell podcast, Once Upon A Crime in Hollywood, Hyman dissects the shocking case and unleashes a series of startling revelations, including some damning, never revealed before evidence.
She pored over the court records and conducted interviews with the distraught friends and family of tragic Giles and Cabrales-Arzola, who were enjoying a night on the town before disaster struck.
A criminal defense attorney joins Hyman on the excellent podcast, which is released on January 3, and said Pearce allegedly told someone that “dead girls can’t talk.”
However, Hyman, who represents women affected by sexual assault, says several women who’ve shown “incredible courage” will take to the stand at LA’s Superior Court and accuse Pearce of attempting to drug and abuse them.
Court documents revealed that over a 13-year period, the film producer had been hit with sexual assault charges by seven victims.
“This is a heartbreaking case,” she told The U.S. Sun.
“But what’s even more alarming is the complaint against Pearce, which alleges that other women were sexually assaulted. I felt it was important to shed light on this issue.”
Hyman admits she’s been blown away by the unnamed victims’ desire to recount their horrors so others can be warned about the dangers of sexual predators.
“It’s unimaginably hard,” she admitted. “These women are already traumatized, and having to tell their stories—first to the grand jury and now in a courtroom—is horrific. But their courage is extraordinary. They’re willing to relive this pain to ensure justice.”
Much of the focus in the horrific case has been on the tragic final few hours of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola.
Their evening began at an art exhibit at Soho House in West Hollywood, with plans for clubbing and an afterparty in the Hollywood Hills.
But the women never arrived at their intended destination.
Instead, Giles was discovered lifeless outside a Culver City hospital, while Cabrales-Arzola was found outside a West Los Angeles facility just two hours later.
Giles’ phone records show that at approximately 5:30am on November 13, she sent her friend a message saying, “Let’s get out of here,” accompanied by a wide-eyed emoji.
Cabrales-Arzola responded with a simple “Yes” and mentioned that she had called an Uber, but after that, there was radio silence. Giles stopped reading or replying to any further messages.
Cabrales-Arzola was declared brain dead and passed away two weeks later after being in a coma.
Surveillance footage from the first hospital captured two masked men in a car without license plates abandoning Giles there.
In July 2022, Pearce, identified as a Hollywood producer, faced upgraded charges of murder from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Osborn, 43, was charged as an accessory but has maintained his innocence regarding the women’s deaths.
Cops said the two women were found with a cocktail of heroin, MDMA, cocaine, fentanyl, ketamine, and GHB in their systems.
A report from the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed their deaths were caused by “multiple drug intoxication.”
Cabrales-Arzola also suffered organ failure before her family opted to end her – and their – agony just before her 27th birthday.
Jan Cilliers, Giles’ grieving husband, expressed relief at the charges. Speaking to The U.S. Sun in 2022, he shared, “The longer we can keep these men off the streets, the better. They shouldn’t have the opportunity to harm anyone else. While I can’t say what their intentions were, the outcome speaks for itself.”
The U.S. Sun also revealed pictures of Pearce with alleged rapist and former porn star Ron Jeremy, as well as images of the filthy apartment where the girls spent some of their final hours.
Cilliers strongly believes both women were drugged, pointing to the toxicology reports. “The combination of drugs in her system was shocking,” he revealed.
Hyman, meanwhile, says the other victims’ stories date back “years” and reveal a “troubling pattern” of being drugged before waking and being unable to remember what happened.
She believes the brave testimonies of the Jane Does will be critical in showing how sexual predators operate.
Yet the broader message is hope for anyone affected by similar, troubling crimes.
“This is more than just justice for Hilda and Christy,” Hyman said. “It’s about empowering women to come forward and holding perpetrators accountable.”
