Luke Littler achieved his first nine-dart finish of the year, but the feat was witnessed only by his opponent and the referee.
In a round of 64 match at the PDC Players Championship 05 in Leicester, Littler defeated world number 85 Adam Hunt 6-5. Hunt won the first leg, but Littler responded in the second with an impressive three-dart average of 125.25. Littler then won two more legs, before Hunt narrowed the gap to 3-2.
In the subsequent leg, Littler produced a stunning display of skill, hitting back-to-back 180s and then finishing with a 141 checkout to complete the nine-dart accomplishment.
This was Littler’s first nine-darter of 2024 and the fifth of his professional career. However, fans were unable to watch the feat as the match was not streamed. This led to widespread disappointment.
Fans expressed their frustration on social media, with one writing, “Littler’s just hit a 9 on board 5 and it’s not on stream, I am distraught,” and another saying, “Luke Littler first 9 darter in nearly a year and he’s not on stream.”
Despite Littler’s brilliance, Hunt pushed him to an eleventh leg. Littler’s 115.62 average in the final leg secured his victory. At the time of writing, Littler has advanced to a semi-final match against Gian van Veen after defeating Damon Heta 6-1 in the quarter-finals.
Notably, Littler’s nine-darter was not the only one of the day. Two-time world champion Gary Anderson also achieved a nine-dart finish, his eighth in a PDC event, coming from behind to beat Ryan Joyce 6-5 in the round of 128.
Joyce was one leg away from victory, leading 5-4, when Anderson hit 180, 180, and 141 to force a deciding leg. Anderson then won the match on double-20.
Unlike Luke Humphries and Rob Cross, who hit nine-darters in the Premier League but lost their matches, Littler and Anderson were able to secure victories.
