Luke Littler admitted he had a “reckless” rush to make Premier League Darts after a last-minute stop at the Post Office to send off eBay trading cards.
The teenage star only arrived at Leeds’ First Direct Arena at around 6.45pm after a frantic journey from home with girlfriend Faith, which included a detour to sort out shipping and tracking for the cards.
Despite the chaotic build-up, the world No.1 still powered his way to Night 14 success, matching his own record of six nightly wins in a single Premier League campaign.
The 19-year-old edged past Luke Humphries 6-5 in a dramatic final after also defeating Michael van Gerwen and Jonny Clayton by the same scoreline earlier in the evening.
Littler said: “I would’ve preferred to go straight on stage. I managed to have a little practice, but another nightly win on the board.
“We were meant to leave at three, but neither me nor Faith were ready, so everything became a rush.
“Then we stopped at the Post Office because I had to send some eBay cards out and sort all the shipping and tracking. That’s why we were cutting it fine, but we made it in time.”
The Warrington ace also confessed he had to step on the accelerator during the drive to Leeds.
He said: “I was driving! It was a bit reckless, but I had to get here.
“The sat-nav time just kept increasing. We eventually got there at about quarter to seven, so thankfully it all worked out.”
Littler kept his cool in three straight deciding-leg victories and believes opponents may already be feeling the pressure before those moments even begin.
He explained: “Winning so many last-leg deciders against these players definitely helps mentally.
“They might already be thinking, ‘Here we go again, another deciding leg against Luke Littler.’
“I’ve always backed myself in those situations ever since the JDC days, and I think I perform really well when it goes all the way.
“Whether it’s a comfortable win or a deciding-leg win, players remember it.
“My records with Gezzy [Price], Luke [Humphries] and Michael [van Gerwen] are all competitive, but if I keep winning week after week, it builds my confidence and makes them realise they need to play even better against me.”
Littler also joked that fans may eventually tire of booing him after some hostile receptions earlier this season.
He said: “I think it’s always going to happen, so I just have to keep winning.
“Hopefully people will eventually get bored because nothing seems to be affecting me. Since Rotterdam there have still been a few boos, but nothing compares to that night.
“I feel like I can handle anything now.”
As a devoted Manchester United supporter, Littler admitted beating Humphries in front of a Leeds crowd made the victory even more satisfying — especially after spotting several Leeds United players outside the venue.
He said: “I saw them near the arena. I noticed Ethan Ampadu first and thought, ‘Is that Ethan Ampadu?’
“Then I saw Willy Gnonto as well. I beeped the horn at them and they looked over, so I beeped again!
“Luke’s got a very good record in Leeds, so it was nice to beat him there.”
Littler also revealed he collected £50 from Clayton after winning a football bet involving Manchester United and Liverpool.
He said: “Jonny probably came into the night as one of the outsiders, but he proved people wrong again.
“To extend the gap over him in the table and beat him tonight was really important. We’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks.
“I got a nice £50 off him as well, cash in hand, so I was happy with that.
“I think we also joked about posting pictures of each other in Liverpool or United shirts, but I stayed out of that one.
“I’m not really into all the AI editing stuff. But yeah, I took £50 off him and hopefully took top spot too.”
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