Luke Littler silences German fans with epic Big Fish checkout after sneaky change ‘to get people talking’

Luke Littler silences German fans with epic Big Fish checkout after sneaky change ‘to get people talking’

Luke Littler turned the German crowd from boos to disbelief on Thursday night, firing two consecutive 170 checkouts to beat Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in the Premier League Night Eight final in Berlin — and revealed a deliberate mid-night dart switch designed to raise eyebrows and raise his game.

‘The Nuke’ topped the standings going into the Uber Arena with a point to prove in Germany. His relationship with German crowds has been famously fractious — from hostile receptions in Hildesheim, Munich and at last year’s European Championship in Dortmund, through to a World Cup nightmare in Frankfurt — and he was greeted with a familiar smattering of boos on his walk-on. But what followed was a performance that turned a sceptical arena into a watching crowd that simply could not take their eyes off him.

Victory ended Littler’s barren run in Germany, with the 19-year-old only greeted with a small amount of boos before getting the better of Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price and Van Gerwen to win again.

The most eye-catching element of the night, beyond the two Big Fish finishes themselves, was Littler’s admission that he had switched darts between his quarter-final and semi-final — a move he had pre-planned as a gamble that he knew would generate conversation.

“I said coming in that if I won my first game I would change my darts in the second,” Littler told Sky Sports. “That will get a few people talking. Target did a few adjustments as they weren’t quite right but they worked tonight.”

Work they did. Littler averaged 108.58 during his semi-final against Price, which threatened to go the distance after the Welshman nailed a 152 checkout to move into a 4-3 advantage. The world number one raced through the next with an 11-darter and capitalised on Price missing a dart at the bullseye to break on double five, before closing out a 13th victory over the ‘Ice Man’ in their last 14 meetings.

The final against Van Gerwen was a fitting occasion for the prototype darts to be properly showcased. Littler raced into a three-leg lead, only for ‘The Green Machine’ to pull back level at 3-3 in a dramatic middle section. But from there, Littler simply took over with two of the most jaw-dropping finishes the Premier League has seen this season.

Littler opened up a two-leg buffer with his first Big Fish of the night but saw Van Gerwen miss a dart at tops to force a final-leg decider, allowing the 19-year-old to wrap up victory with another spectacular 170 finish. The crowd that had booed him walking on were on their feet.

The world number one fired a 106.36 average and four maximums in the absorbing contest, where Littler fired three ton-plus finishes — including two Big Fish checkouts in the final three legs — to see off the Dutchman.

Littler afterwards barely contained his delight at taming a venue that had tormented him. “Germany wasn’t too bad tonight,” he said. “I played very well and they were on my side at times. I reeled the 170s back in!”

He reserved his biggest assessment for the night overall. “I think this is definitely the best I’ve played over a night,” he admitted. “I knew if I won the night I would go top, but you’ve just got to take it game by game. Obviously I won in Cardiff and Dublin, but this tops it.”

The route to the final had already underlined his quality. Littler raced into a dominant 4-0 lead against Bunting, looking utterly unstoppable in the early stages, before closing out a 6-3 win with a solid 104.73 average. Bunting actually outscored him on the night, posting a 107.47 average, but in front of a hostile crowd it simply wasn’t enough.

The result sends Littler two points clear at the top of the Premier League table, past Jonny Clayton who suffered his second consecutive quarter-final defeat, this time at the hands of Josh Rock. Rock produced wild celebrations after closing out a 6-3 win, securing his first points of the Premier League season. Van Gerwen’s run to his first final since Night Two moved him inside the top four, while Luke Humphries dropped out of the play-off places after falling to Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals.

Night Nine in Manchester next Thursday awaits — and with three wins from his last four nights, a genuinely unstoppable-looking Littler heading there as table leader.