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.
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“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
