Luke Littler offered chance of revenge against rival who beat him when he was just 12
LUKE LITTLER has been offered the chance to get revenge on a long-term rival.
The darts sensation has discovered his three opponents to take on in the Mr Vegas Grand Slam group stage.
Littler, 17, will take on Ireland’s Keane Barry, Dimitri Van den Bergh and the PDC Asian champion Lourence Ilagan in Group F.
He has faced all three of the players before in his career, but Barry and he have a much deeper history.
The two faced off in the JDC finals in 2019 when Littler was just 12 years old.
The Irishman came out on top in that match, which means Littler could have the bit between his teeth for vengeance.
Speaking to Off the Ball YouTube channel, Barry said: “I played against Luke a few times when he was younger.
“I always knew he was a good thrower. I did not know at 16, he would go on to do what he has.
“It is a bit mad, but fair play to the lad, he is doing great.
“He always had the talent for sure, but you cannot predict these things.”
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When asked about Littler’s amazing rise, Barry insisted he was impressed with the teenager’s composure with all the attention.
He added: “I think the way he took everything in his stride.
List of all-time Darts World Champions
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.
- 1994 – Dennis Priestley
- 1995 – Phil Taylor
- 1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
- 1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
- 1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
- 1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
- 2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
- 2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
- 2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
- 2003 – John Part
- 2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
- 2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
- 2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
- 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
- 2008 – John Part (2)
- 2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
- 2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
- 2011 – Adrian Lewis
- 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
- 2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
- 2014 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2015 – Gary Anderson
- 2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
- 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
- 2018 – Rob Cross
- 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
- 2020 – Peter Wright
- 2021 – Gerwyn Price
- 2022 – Peter Wright (2)
- 2023 – Michael Smith
- 2024 – Luke Humphries
Most World Titles
- 14 – Phil Taylor
- 3 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
- 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries
“Getting up there and hitting the average he is hitting and brushing aside top class players is a credit to himself.
“He is taking it all in his stride, and I don’t think he has any fear. That looks to be his mindset.”
The four players will jostle for a spot in the last 16 with only two qualifying out of the group.
The tournament will start on Saturday at the WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton.
Luke Humphries is the current reigning champion, having won the title 12 months ago.
Inside Littler's massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has then gone on to win a host of PDC events and the Premier League title – which he claimed at the O2 Arena by beating world champion Luke Humphries in May.
He also finished his first season in the World Series as the No1 ranked player.
He has joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
But he is newly single after splitting from girlfriend Eloise Milburn following a 10-month relationship.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.