Secondary school darts star reveals how he almost beat Luke Littler as he prepares for huge rematch

Jayden Walker will be the youngest hopeful looking to take down Luke Littler in Friday’s £501,000 Netflix darts challenge, but the teenage sensation is not intimidated by the world champion.

The 14-year-old from Dorset has already managed to win a leg against The Nuke in a previous exhibition match. He has also beaten world No. 2 Luke Humphries in a thrilling three-leg contest.

Walker is among 24 hopefuls competing for the opportunity to face reigning world champion Littler in a winner-takes-all showdown in Manchester, broadcast live on Netflix.

The stakes could hardly be higher, with £501,000 up for grabs. Winning the enormous prize could transform life for Walker and his family, including his single mother, Jamie, who works as a self-employed hairdresser in Christchurch.

However, because of his age, any prize money he wins will be placed in a trust fund until he turns 18.

Known by his nickname, Young Gun, Walker is already making a name for himself on the junior darts circuit. He is managed by MODUS Sports and sponsored by Target Darts.

The Tottenham supporter is also younger than Littler was when the Warrington-born star, aged 16, reached the final of the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

Walker has already had the opportunity to share the stage with the two highest-ranked players in the world, although both encounters took place in exhibition matches rather than competitive tournaments.

Speaking to SunSport, the teenager revealed what happened when he came up against Littler on two separate occasions.

“I’ve played Luke twice,” Walker said.

“I played him once in Portsmouth, where he beat me 3-0 and he had a 125 average, which was ridiculous stuff.

“Then I played him again at Chester Racecourse. He beat me 2-1. I got the first leg. I won the bull in the back room. I was happy to get a leg off the world number one.”

Walker also recalled his impressive encounter with Humphries, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the youngster.

“I beat Luke Humphries 2-1 and we both played really well. We had high averages. It was around 102 and he had a 106. It just went with the throw until the last leg.”

Despite the possibility of facing Littler on one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, Walker insists that simply being involved in the programme would represent a major achievement.

“I’m really excited to be on Netflix in general. Even if I don’t get to play Luke, just being on Netflix is a massive achievement,” he added.

Littler’s remarkable rise has played a significant role in inspiring the next generation of darts players, and Walker is among those who have followed his career closely.

“When I first saw him play, I was taken aback that a 16-year-old at the time was beating the likes of Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross and nearly beating Luke Humphries.

“I was quite shocked seeing someone only a few years older than me doing sensational things.

“Hopefully in the future when I turn 16, I might give myself the opportunity to be in the World Championship.”

Walker’s own journey in darts began when he was just 18 months old. Like Littler, he started out throwing at a magnetic dartboard before developing his skills on a proper board.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, he hit his first 180 at the age of eight, marking another important milestone in his development.

Darts was not always his main sporting ambition, however. Walker previously played as a defender at the Generation Elite Football Academy in Bournemouth before deciding to concentrate on the sport.

His talent also caught the attention of YouTuber and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! winner Angryginge, whose real name is Morgan Burtwistle.

Two years ago, the content creator selected Walker from the crowd at an exhibition and invited him to throw darts in front of the audience.

Now, the teenager could be on the verge of an even bigger moment in his young career.

His 90-year-old great-grandmother will be watching closely to see how he gets on, while his school friends are also expected to cheer him on during the half-term break.

Walker, a Year 10 student, revealed that some of his classmates have already joked about sharing the potential winnings.

“A few of my friends at school have jokingly said: ‘If you win, can I have a tenner? Or a fiver?’

“But they’ve been very congratulatory of me, in school and online, on Snapchat and Facebook. Very supportive.”

For Walker, Littler’s influence extends far beyond his achievements on the oche. The world No. 1 has helped make professional darts an increasingly attractive ambition for young people.

“Luke has inspired quite a lot of people. When I was younger, everyone in class would reply that their dream job when they were older was ‘to be a professional footballer’.

“But nowadays there’s quite a lot of people saying they want to be a professional darts player, and that’s pretty much all because of Luke.”

With a potential £501,000 prize on the line, Walker now has an opportunity to turn his admiration for Littler into a moment of his own.

Whether he gets the chance to face the world champion remains to be seen, but the teenage talent has already shown that he is capable of competing with some of the sport’s biggest names.