Luke Littler hailed as ‘hero’ for ‘absolutely brilliant’ gesture to young fans during surprise visit to Irish darts club
Luke Littler Surprises Young Fans at Dublin Darts Club
Luke Littler made young fans’ dreams come true with a surprise visit to a Dublin darts club ahead of his Premier League of Darts match at the 3Arena on Thursday night.
The 18-year-old reigning world champion stopped by the D7 Youth Darts Academy at Naomh Fionnbarra GAA Club in Cabra on Wednesday, creating an unforgettable moment for the young players.
In a video captured by RTÉ, the excitement built as the kids eagerly awaited Littler’s arrival. As soon as he walked in, he was swarmed by young fans asking for autographs and photos, before stepping up to throw a few darts himself.
The heartwarming encounter quickly went viral on social media, with fans applauding Littler for taking the time to inspire the next generation.
The D7 Youth Darts Academy shared their excitement, posting:
“What a day for us!! 🙌🎯”
Meanwhile, Clonliffe House Pub extended an open invitation, tweeting:
“Fantastic 🔥 Pint on the house here for Luke anytime.”
Other fans chimed in with admiration, with one commenting:
“Mad how a 17-year-old has changed darts 👏”
Another simply called him a “hero”, while one joked:
“The GAA is f*ed. Little lads throwing darts now 😂😂”**
Littler Prepares for Dublin Showdown Against Gerwyn Price
Littler heads into the Dublin leg riding high after defeating former world champion Luke Humphries in Glasgow last week. However, that match was overshadowed by disruptive whistling from the crowd—something he hopes won’t happen again at the 3Arena.
“Obviously, it’s not a good thing for fans to be whistling, whether it’s against me or my opponent,” Littler said. “Rob Cross missed two at double 18, then they whistled, and he missed again. You never see Rob miss double 18, so I’d say the crowd played a part in that. We wouldn’t want it to happen to anyone.”
Littler believes security should take action against disruptive fans:
“If a player walks off stage, security has to do their job—whoever’s whistling, just kick them out. Then we players can get on with it.”
Facing Gerwyn Price: A Tough Rivalry
Littler’s next challenge in Dublin is a quarter-final clash against Gerwyn Price. While he downplays talk of Price being his bogeyman, the stats tell a different story—the 39-year-old Welshman has won their last four encounters, remaining unbeaten against Littler since their Liverpool showdown 10 months ago.
“He played out of his skin in Bahrain,” Littler admitted. “I couldn’t do much against him. He’s been brilliant nearly every time we’ve played.”
Despite this, Littler remains focused:
“I just have to make sure I win that first game and get some more points on the board. Then we’ll see how it goes from there.”
Currently sitting second in the Premier League table with five points from the first two nights, Littler is determined to keep his momentum going in Dublin.
