Luke Littler keeps spotters like Richard Ashdown on his toes (Image: Getty)
Spotting during matches is akin to trying to master your favourite computer game for Richard Ashdown. The spotter is the unseen hero of coverage. With a direct line to the director, they ensure the camera is pointing at the correct segment on the board.
It’s a science that has evolved rapidly in recent years, especially since Littler burst onto the scene. The teenager doesn’t stick to traditional finishing routes; he goes his own way. That keeps Ashdown, who has been a spotter for for more than 20 years, on his toes. But it’s a challenge he relishes.
“Something I particularly enjoy about spotting for Luke Littler is, even though he goes some strange ways, they’re not the same ways. He will change things in matches,” explains Ashdown, a handy player himself in his youth before turning to refereeing and spotting.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
“You’ll see him attempt a certain checkout with a certain method. Then, a few legs later, he’ll need the same checkout in the same scenario but will go another way.
“A lot of top players, who are quick, are similar, Michael Smith, Dirk van Duijvenbode. They go with feeling in that moment – ‘do I fancy leaving this double?’
“Luke literally thinks on his feet, leg by leg. Even with a nine-dart finish attempt, you’re never quite sure which way he will go. Will he go treble 19, double 12 with the last two darts? Or will he go treble 17 for double 15, which is rare but is often his chosen route for 81?
“The best way I can describe it is, it’s like playing your favourite computer game and you’re going up in levels. You enjoy it more the harder it gets.
Richard Ashdown worked with Andrew Flintoff and Littler on the Bullseye Christmas special (Image: ITV)
“When I did the Luke vs Luke [Humphries] final [in 2024], it was a brilliant match in terms of standard. But it was also a lot of fun for myself, trying to keep up and getting calls in time to the director and the camera operator, so everyone can see all the darts, which is the job we do. I love it, bring it on.
“The game has evolved in two ways. One is the method, using the dartboard. The other way is the speed in which they do it.
“You’re now seeing kids who are 13 or 14, who are playing in JDC [Junior Darts Corporation], using the board and thinking about their shots when they’re still in the 300s. Luke Littler has been a really trailblazer for this.”
Ashdown, the referee on ITV’s reboot of Bullseye, which aired over Christmas, is fascinated by the approach of various players on the PDC Tour. He adds: “I mentioned Dirk van Duijvenbode. Where he’s quirky, it’s not just with the finishing but with the setting up.
Littler has transcended the sport since bursting onto the scene 14 months ago (Image: Getty)
“He’s brought in a new dynamic, which I really like. Say he’s got a treble 19 sitting in the board at a nice angle. If the shot left after that is 94 and he wants a treble 18 to leave double top, he bizarrely will still throw at the treble 19 again to leave 37.
“People will think, ‘why?’ Well, he’s thinking to himself, ‘I’ve got a better chance of hitting a treble 19 with a dart already in it than going for an empty treble 18.
“That has developed fairly recently, the percentage play of following the first treble for an unconventional but easier checkout than going for a conventional treble and risk leaving a harder checkout.
“Players are thinking about what they’re going to leave and not just what they’re going to hit. Dirk is certainly a favourite.”
A self-confessed darts anorak, Ashdown is loving the sport’s upward trajectory, which has been jet-propelled by Littler over the last 14 months. He says: “In terms of the excitement all around, it’s been magnificent. From my own seat, the job remains the same but there is that nagging thought in the back of your mind that more people are watching than ever before.
“We all know about the media attention and within a year it’s already become a legacy thing, with the interest of so many more youngsters. I’ve really felt a change in our sport.”