Luke Littler, 16, is BIGGER for darts than Phil Taylor ever was… and The Power won 16 titles
DENNIS PRIESTLEY reckons Luke Littler is the biggest thing to happen to the sport since the infamous and bitter split 30 years ago.
The Mexborough legend threw the first darts of the new World Darts Championship at the Circus Tavern and then beat Phil Taylor 6-1 in the inaugural final in 1994.
That followed years of legal wrangling and court cases between 14 breakaway stars and the stuck-in-their-ways BDO.
But ‘The Menace’, now 73, admits he has never seen anything quite like the sensational fairy tale of Kebab Kid Littler.
He said: “Without a doubt, Luke Littler is the biggest thing to happen to the sport since the split and that first WDC World Championship.
“At such a tender age of 16 to do what he has done is remarkable.
“Even when Phil Taylor had won his 16th title, he never got as much paper and TV coverage as Luke. He’s bigger news than even Phil was.
“I never envisaged a young lad coming through like this. Whether he keeps it going or not is another matter.”
This is the 30th anniversary of the tournament as it reaches a dramatic climax.
Priestley beat Scots legend Jocky Wilson 3-1 in the opening match on Boxing Day 1993.
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The Yorkshireman, who has overcome prostate cancer, smashed Taylor in the final on January 2, 1994 and admits he unleashed a winning beast in the process.
He added: “Obviously it’s a long time to think back. The main thing is that we got it off and running.
“Strangely enough the final wasn’t just about me playing Phil, it was just a bit of a relief the tournament had gone well by that stage.
“I wouldn’t have put myself as the favourite to beat Phil on that night. I went on to beat him comfortably which surprised me.
“I didn’t realise that night that I had probably released the monster that became Phil Taylor and that he’d go on to be so successful.
“I probably didn’t think I’d ever win another title. We played in six finals against each other, I won two and lost four.
“We were maybe the first two big stars at the time. But there were big names in Eric Bristow, Jocky Wilson, Bob Anderson and Cliff Lazarenko.
“It’s remarkable to think we had to give tickets away at the start of the tournament. Now I’ve been told that it will set you back £500 for a ticket for the final at the Ally Pally!
“I’ll be watching this year’s final in Burnley with my son Adam and we’ll sup a few!”
Priestley won £12,000 for beating Taylor in the final.
Remarkably in this year’s event, a player who lost in the second round received £15,000 for their troubles.
He added: “I won £12,000 for winning the title. Phil and I shared the £16,000 and £8,000 for winner and runner-up.
“The reason we did that is because we had spent so much on legal fees for lawyers to fight the case for the split.
“We didn’t really make much prize money until much later on.
“There’s a huge progression with money. I never expected them to get to half a million for the first prize. I’ve heard that it’s not far off before a million for the winner.
“The players now are reaping all the benefits from us penny-pinching.
“I’m very proud that we did what we did. I just wish the players that followed maybe didn’t take it for granted. It took a lot of hard work to get it to where it is.”