Luke Littler fires warning to Premier League Darts rivals after ditching on-stage antics and storming to victory

Luke Littler put the jokes and crowd banter to one side as he finally secured his first nightly victory in this year’s Premier League Darts.

The teenage sensation, currently ranked World No.1, is known as one of darts’ biggest entertainers, regularly teasing fans with trick shots and playful moments on stage. But in Cardiff, the 19-year-old opted for a more serious approach as he chased a breakthrough win in the competition.

Littler ended a five-week wait for success by defeating Josh Rock, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton to claim the Night Five title.

The victory lifted him to third in the standings, and Littler admitted he deliberately toned down his usual interactions with the crowd in order to stay fully focused.

He said: “Normally I’m winding the crowd up a bit, but tonight I felt like I really needed to win.

“I’ve always said you do the hard work early and then in the final you relax.

“I didn’t give too much away or interact with the fans too much, and it paid off because I got the win.

“Recently I haven’t been bantering around on stage because I haven’t been winning.”

The 10-time major champion also sent a warning to the rest of the field that he remains a serious contender for the title.

Littler produced a superb display, landing two spectacular 170 checkouts during the night, averaging over 105 in two of his three matches and narrowly missing double 15 for a nine-dart finish in the final.

Reflecting on the two “big fish” finishes, he added: “You don’t often see two 170s in one night, so for me to get both was pretty special.

“I saw a few people messaging me about not hitting the big fish, so hopefully a few people put bets on tonight and I’ve won them some money.

“There wasn’t much between everyone going into tonight, but I knew if I won I’d put myself in a strong position.

“And that’s exactly what I’ve done.

“Tonight is definitely a statement to everyone out there.

“Last week I saw a few comments and then checked the betting odds and I was still favourite to win the title.

“So I told myself, fair enough – I just need to pick myself up and go on to win it.”