PAUL NICHOLSON has warned amateur darts players they have “pretty much no chance” of beating Luke Littler unless they can consistently average around 95.
The former Players Championship Finals champion believes only elite-level pub players should even consider entering Netflix’s upcoming live game show, Beat Luke Littler, where a life-changing £501,000 jackpot is on offer.
The one-off event, which airs live on October 30, will see world No.1 Littler take on 20 amateur challengers in a series of one-leg shootouts.
Regional qualifying events will be held in Manchester and London throughout September, with successful players earning the opportunity to face the teenage darts sensation.
Although Nicholson admits the best-of-one-leg format gives underdogs a fighting chance, he believes the gulf in class remains enormous.
Speaking to Sporting Life, he said: “We can’t underestimate how good some of the best amateur players in the country are.
“There are outstanding players who have never turned professional for all sorts of reasons, and with such a short format they’ll believe they have an opportunity.
“But if Luke turns up fully focused and takes it seriously, they’ll probably need to finish a leg in 12 darts just to have a chance.”
Blackpool statistics show the challenge
Nicholson pointed to Littler’s incredible performances at the World Matchplay as evidence of the standard required to beat him.
He said: “Across the entire World Matchplay, Luke played 107 legs and only eight of them lasted longer than 15 darts.
“He didn’t have a single leg in the whole tournament where he needed 20 darts or more to finish.
“That tells you everything about the level you have to reach just to win a leg against him.
“And that’s only if you’re holding your own throw. If you want to break Luke’s throw, you’ll probably need to do it in three or four visits.
“There will occasionally be an off-leg. There was one in the final—just one—and that came over 27 legs under the pressure of one of the biggest tournaments in the sport.
“What most people think is excellent darts simply isn’t at Luke’s level. He’s operating on a completely different standard.”
‘You need a 95 average’
Nicholson believes anything less than a 90 average will leave challengers with almost no realistic chance of walking away with the jackpot.
He added: “Even if Luke had to finish from 1001, he’d probably do it in around 30 darts, and that would still put plenty of pub players under pressure starting from 501.
“If you’re not regularly averaging around 90, there’s pretty much no point entering.
“The last time Luke lost in a ranked televised major, he still averaged 97—and that was considered an off day.
“When was the last time someone averaging in the mid-80s beat him? It hardly ever happens.
“If you want to beat Luke Littler, you’ll probably need to produce a 95 average on your very best day.”
Littler’s growing TV profile
Littler has become one of the biggest crossover stars in British sport since bursting onto the darts scene.
Away from the oche, he has appeared on the reboot of Bullseye alongside former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, featured on A League of Their Own and The Jonathan Ross Show, and built a large online audience through appearances on the Sidecast podcast and live streams with YouTube personality AngryGinge.
Now, Beat Luke Littler promises to be his biggest television challenge yet, with 20 amateur players hoping to produce the leg of their lives against the sport’s dominant force.
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