Luke Littler basked in the glory of a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire victor, without having to confront the intimidating presence of Jeremy Clarkson. As the prodigious youngster from Warrington lifted the Eric Bristow Trophy at his first attempt in Wolverhampton, he also crossed the £1 million mark in prize money in just 11 months.
Littler’s impressive £150,000 paycheck pushed him into the elite group of millionaires after dominating Martin ‘Smash’ Lukeman 16-3 in a one-sided and ruthless final. At the age of 17, Littler has already amassed a fortune solely through his darting prowess, having risen from No. 164 in the world rankings just a year ago to his current position at No. 5 in the Professional Darts Corporation. The previous three winners of the Grand Slam – Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, and Luke Humphries – went on to clinch the coveted PDC world title at Alexandra Palace. Littler, who narrowly missed out on the world title last year to Humphries, made it clear that his ultimate goal is to conquer the world.
He stated, “I have a few days off before the Players Championship finals, and I hope to make a deep run there before focusing on the World Championship. The World Championship changed my life and that of my family. As I continue to play in more tournaments, I am getting used to the attention, and I intend to enjoy it for a long time to come.” When asked if he was bothered by negative comments from trolls regarding his early exits in previous majors this year, Littler responded with a grin, “I came here with the intention to prove them wrong, and I am glad that all my hard work has paid off. I knew that winning this tournament would catapult me to No. 5 in the world rankings, and I am now determined to climb even higher.”
Littler’s triumph was written in the stars, and it was a magnificent constellation. In fact, he played even better than his Premier League victory six months ago, and now as a millionaire, he must be aware that the taxman will come for a substantial portion of his earnings. But, to be frank, this kid is a phenomenon. He kept his composure in a thrilling semi-final against two-time world champion Gary Anderson, which went down to the last leg, and then went on to obliterate ‘Smash’ in the final. Littler’s average score of 107.08 in the final and 105 in the tournament is a testament to his skill and dominance. It will take something extraordinary to stop ‘The Nuke’ at next month’s World Championship in Alexandra Palace.
Lukeman, in his first major final, is the best thing to come out of Watford since Elton John’s piano or Anthony Joshua’s left hook. He started strong, taking the first two legs, but it only served to motivate Littler even more. Littler then went on to win the next 15 legs without any response from Lukeman. The overwhelmed Lukeman sighed, “He (Littler) is on a different level. He is brilliant, isn’t he? He has been great for the PDC, great for the sport, and has brought in a whole new fan base and sponsorship.”
