Luke Littler reached the World Darts Championship final in January and has since won 10 titles (Image: GETTY)
Darts boss Barry Hearn has insisted there are half a dozen youngsters following in the footsteps of Luke Littler and has warned the teenager he might not have things his own way at future editions of the World Darts Championship. The Nuke became an overnight sensation a year ago after of darts’ flagship tournament as a 16-year-old.
He has backed up that run with 10 senior titles this year, including the of Darts.
And he has bagged more than £1million in prize money thanks to his endeavours at the oche.
Hearn, who is the president of darts organiser Matchroom Sport, told : “He was my Christmas present last year. I am so difficult to buy for because I’m older, and I have got most of the things I want.
“And then someone gave me Luke Littler, and it is the ultimate Christmas present I could have had. Luke Humphries and him are going to just dominate these darts events.
“But be careful because there is half a dozen really top youngsters that are following in the footsteps of Luke Littler. So he may not have it quite as easy as he thinks.”
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Darts chief Barry Hearn says there are six youngsters following in the footsteps of Luke Littler (Image: GETTY)
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Television viewing figures and ticket sales have skyrocketed over the last 12 months thanks to the impact of Littler, who doesn’t turn 18 until next year.
And in a separate interview with the , Hearn doubled down on his praise for the teenager as he explained: “We’ve been watching his progress since he was about seven. He was on our radar, but we never anticipated what would happen. The next thing we know, Littlermania is spreading everywhere.
“Luke Humphries is another fabulous player who is going to be around for years. Sport is a very brutal world. It is about winning and claiming the high ground. There will be envy around.
“Luke Littler is the next Tiger Woods for darts so they better get used to it, and the only way to compete is to get better.”
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This year’s World Championship is set to get underway at Alexandra Palace on Sunday, December 15.
Littler will enter the tournament in the second round, as the top 32 players in the world are given a bye in the opening round. The 17-year-old will of the match between Sherrock Fallon and Ryan Meikle.
And ahead of the tournament he said: “Good luck to them both. It should be a really interesting game, because Ryan’s playing really good, and so is Fallon.
“Either way, I’m very confident, whoever wins. I just can’t wait to get on stage. Ever since the Worlds [last year] it has been crazy – this is where it all started for me. The buzz is there, I can feel it.”