Michael van Gerwen couldn’t help himself vs Luke Littler last year in Nottingham (Image: Sky Sports )
couldn’t help but show exactly how it’s done during last year’s meet in Nottingham. The Nuke was competing in his first-ever Premier League campaign – a tournament he went on to win.
And Littler had been flexing his darting muscles during a quarter-final clash against Van Gerwen, with the teenager – who was just 17 years old at the time – kicking the leg off with a stunning 180. He followed it up with another three perfect darts, this time hitting two treble 20s, before finishing his visit off with a treble 19.
It meant on his third trip to the board, he needed 144 (T20, T20, D12) to complete the nine-dart finish, with the first two darts finding the treble 20 bed. Unfortunately for Littler – and the fans packed inside Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena – his final arrow just missed the double 12 segment.
Sensing an opportunity to tease his showboating opponent, Van Gerwen – who wasn’t within touching distance of a finish – went and recorded a 144 score. To rub salt in Littler’s wounds, he did so by hitting two treble 20s and an unconventional double 12 – the exact sequence Littler needed to complete his nine darter.
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Michael van Gerwen met Luke Littler in the quarter-final of last year’s Premier League (Image: Getty)
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The Green Machine couldn’t help but smirk as he walked away from the oche, with Littler himself even able to see the funny side. It was in fact the teen sensation who had the last laugh, though, as during his next visit, Littler wrapped up the match to progress into the semi-final by virtue of a dominant 6-2 win.
Littler met his match in the last four, losing to eventual runner-up for night seven, Nathan Aspinall. However, the points he picked up from the Van Gerwen victory helped him finish inside the play-off spots and secure a spot at the season-ending showpiece in London, where he went on to beat Luke Humphries in the final.
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Fast forward a year and ahead of Littler’s return to Nottingham, plenty has changed for the Warrington-based ace. He’s now the world champion and has just come off the back of a stellar week that saw him pick up three tournament wins.
Speaking after his , the 18-year-old said: “I’m very happy to retain the title in front of these great fans. I said last year there should be a Premier League night here, and there should be!
“I said after the World Championship, if I don’t win anything throughout the whole year, I’m still a world champion. I’m happy to win the UK Open and come back here and go back-to-back; now it’s straight onto the Players Championship events and then back to the Premier League.”