Luke Littler took a cheeky swipe at fellow darts star Stephen Bunting after the fan favourite’s shock exit from the PDC World Darts Championship.
Following a short Christmas break, the tournament resumed on Saturday with several high-profile names returning to the Alexandra Palace stage. Reigning champion and world number one Littler was among them and produced a ruthless display, brushing aside Austria’s Mensur Suljovic to secure his place in the last 16.
Things went very differently for Bunting, however. The world number four suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of world number 63 James Hurrell, crashing out earlier than expected despite arriving in strong form and with high hopes of a deep run.
Had results gone to form, Littler and Bunting were on course to meet in the latter stages of the competition. Instead, the teenager could not resist making a pointed remark after both matches had concluded.
Bunting, a two-time semi-finalist at Ally Pally, struggled to find his rhythm and was punished by Hurrell in a tense deciding set. In contrast, Littler was in scintillating form, averaging over 107 and dropping just three legs in a dominant 4–0 victory that underlined his status as the tournament favourite.
Reflecting on his performance, Littler briefly turned his attention to events elsewhere in the draw and appeared to reference Bunting’s exit with a tongue-in-cheek comment.
“The Luke Littler effect is still going strong in this tournament,” he said. “I don’t think the Bunting effect is going too well this tournament. Maybe I’ve got the biggest fan base.”
Realising how sharp the comment sounded, Littler quickly added with a smile: “I had to say that, sorry!”
The remark was widely seen as a playful nod to Bunting’s earlier comments in the competition. After his first-round win over Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki, Bunting had drawn attention by confidently labelling himself “the People’s Champion”.
“I’m Stephen Bunting. I’m the People’s Champion,” he said at the time. “I believe I’ve got the best fan base. I’ve got the best social media in darts.”
Littler’s quip after Bunting’s exit appeared to reference that self-assured claim, adding an extra layer of intrigue to an already dramatic day at Ally Pally.
The reigning champion will now face the winner of the tie between Damon Heta and Rob Cross as he continues his bid for a second consecutive world title.
