Luke Littler claimed this week that he was skipping this weekend’s European Darts Grand Prix in Germany having clashed with the country’s fans – but will still head to the World Cup that will be held there
Luke Littler will fly the flag at next month’s World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt – despite falling out with German crowds. After booking his place in the BetMGM Premier League play-offs with three weeks to spare, Luke the Nuke confirmed his boycott of the Fatherland will not extend to England’s defence of their crown from June 12-15.
Littler and world No.1 Luke Humphries will forge a ‘Lukes of Hazard’ double act at the Eissporthalle, ending speculation that the PDC world champion would skip the tournament after a rough ride in Munich last month.
His Nukeship pulled out of this weekend’s European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen – the only top 20 player not to be in the starting line-up – at short notice, doubling down on his threat to skip tournaments in Germany until October. But he remains committed to joining forces with Humphries in Frankfurt, where Cool Hand Luke and Michael Smith won England’s fifth World Cup since the competition’s launch in 2010 last year.
Littler, 18, was never going to turn his back on the World Cup and he confirmed: “I was always playing. Luke wants to go back-to-back and I want to win it for the first time. Even though it’s not a major, it is still a big event, you are playing for your country.”
Instead of running the gauntlet of his Teutonic critics in Sindelfingen, he might treat himself to watching his beloved Warrington Wolves at super league’s Magic Weekend.
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He said: “What will I do instead? Same old – XBoX, chill, maybe go up to Newcastle to watch the rugby.” If Littler could bottle his perfect Thursday night, it would look something like his soiree in Birmingham, where he clocked up a record fifth Premier League nightly win while his other sporting love, Manchester United, closed in on the Europa League final.
He admitted he has even looked into the possible logistics of going to the final in Bilbao on May 21 – just 24 hours before he is due on stage in Sheffield. Littler said: “I will always watch United, whenever I may be, and of course I’m very happy with a 3-0 win. They won and I won. I have been looking at a few flights (for the final) – if I am allowed to go! But if I can’t make it, I’ll watch it at home.”
When he was told snooker star Luca Brecel took a private jet en route to the World Championship at the Crucible, Littler laughed: “Jesus… I don’t think a private jet is worth it. For myself, I am just glad I am top of the table. You can see that for fourth and fifth, Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall, it is going to be a very tricky few weeks for both of them.
“I am very happy that I am not in between them, safely out of the way at the top. It is also a big thing going into the O2. If you are top of the table and play the first semi-final, if you do win that game, you do have a longer break to the final.”
Littler’s five nightly wins in this season’s Premier League campaign has earned him £50,000 in bonuses plus a £30,000 set of solid gold arrows for hie nine-darter in Cardiff. On Thursday night, he averaged 102.50 in his 6-4 win against Michael van Gerwen in the final after needing last-leg shoot-outs to beat Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall in earlier rounds.
He said: “It feels amazing to be setting records in only my second year. It feels very different this time because, as world champion, there’s always a target on my back now. It’s nice to be nine points clear at the top, so I’m very happy and pretty confident I’ll stay at No.1 in the table.”
