Watch: Luke Littler opens up with stunning nine-darter on way to Bahrain Masters final

Luke Littler is making more headlines in Bahrain – AP/Kin Cheung

A perfect nine-dart finish, a maximum checkout of 170 and a final on his World Series debut; Luke Littler’s fairytale start to his professional career goes on.

Victories in the space of two hours against Nathan Aspinall, the world No.4 and Gerwyn Price, the world No.5, set up a mouth-watering final against Michael van Gerwen, the Dutch three-times world champion who has been a dominant force in darts for more than a decade.

Littler had earlier began his quarter-final against Aspinall with consecutive 180s before nonchalantly checking going treble 20, treble 19 and double 12 for a 141 checkout to complete his nine-dart finish.

He looked genuinely ecstatic, celebrating the feat with an on-stage jig and fist pump before regaining his focus to complete a 6-4 win. A towering 104.5 average also confirmed no dip in the extraordinary form that he displayed earlier this month in reaching the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace.

Littler has achieved the nine-dart feat previously in junior competition but this was a competitive first by any player in 2024. It also means that he instantly joins an illustrious list to have produced a perfect leg on live television that began with John Lowe some 40 years ago.

Phil Taylor has had the most perfect legs in darts history, achieving the feat 11 times in a career that includes 16 world titles.

Whether anyone can ever get close to that particular record remains doubtful but, in Littler, there can be no doubt that darts has a superstar with the potential to not just join the all-time greats but bring the sport to an entirely new audience.

“I’m just glad to win and I think I played really well,” said Littler. “It’s good to get one [a nine-darter] on TV – the first one of the year goes to me. Hopefully I hit a few more!

“I just take it game by game, if I win, I win, if I lose my next game, it is what it is.”

Littler then faced Price, the 2021 world champion, in the semi-finals after he had earlier knocked out the tournament favourite Luke Humphries. Littler was memorably beaten by Humphries, the World No.1, in the World Championship final 16 days ago and Price’s victory ended a run of 20 straight wins that stretches back some two months.

It ensured no rematch of the most watched darts match in history and, after the opening five legs had all been won by the player throwing first, the semi-final turned on a moment of Littler magic in leg six. Needing 350 to finish, Littler duly stepped in with consecutive visits of 180 and then a 170 checkout – the highest possible on a darts board with two treble 20s and a bullseye – to break Price’s throw. He then streaked into a 6-2 lead before completing a 7-3 victory to set up a final against Van Gerwen, who had earlier beaten former world champions Rob Cross and Michael Smith.

Accompanied in Bahrain by his dad Anthony, Littler had arrived in the Middle East fresh from a week’s family holiday and then tickets to watch Manchester United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday when he received words of wisdom from Sir Alex Ferguson.

“To meet him was amazing and he said some lovely things to me about staying dedicated and believing in myself, said Littler.

The Bahrain Masters, which comes with a £20,00 first prize, is being played over only two days and is made up of eight of the Professional Darts Corporation’s leading players alongside eight of the best players from Asia.

Littler, who will turn 17 on Sunday, has also been selected to play in the Premier League darts competition that takes place across 17 different dates at major venues across Europe every Thursday from the start of February until the final’s night at London’s O2 on May 23.

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