Littler hits nine-darter on way to solidifying Premier League top spot in Cardiff

Yahoo

20-03-2025

LUKE Littler hit a nine-dart finish on his way to solidifying his position at the top of the PDC Premier League table.
The Warringtonian world champion achieved darting position in the fourth leg of the Night Seven final against Michael Van Gerwen as he reached the weekly decider for the fourth week in a row.
After a brace of 180s, Littler hit a treble 20, treble 17, double 15 combination to check out 141 and send the Welsh capital crowd into raptures.
It is his second Premier League nine-darter after hitting one in last year's final against Luke Humphries, his second of the calendar year overall having won a leg in nine darts against Adam Hunt in the Players Championship earlier this month and his sixth in professional tournaments to date.
LUKE LITTLER HITS THE NINE DARTER! 🚨 What a moment! Luke Littler joins the nine-dart club in the Premier League this year, as he pins the nine-darter in the fourth leg of this final and now leads 3-1! 📺 https://t.co/CxOorrFXK9#PLDarts25 pic.twitter.com/yT8vFjQpMy
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 20, 2025
That put the 18-year-old into a 3-1 lead in a final of the highest quality as Van Gerwen refused to go away, but Littler closed out a 6-4 win to pick up his third nightly win of the year.
As closest rivals Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price both left Cardiff without any points, the Warringtonian world champion was able to extend his lead at the summit to six points.
His average kept climbing throughout the night as he moved serenely through the gears, topping out at a staggering 112.50 average in the decider against Van Gerwen.
But unlike on Night One when he averaged an even higher 113.91 against the Dutchman only to lose the game, Littler closed out victory in a game in which both men broke throw with regularity.
Van Gerwen, playing in his first nightly final of the year, deserves credit for not subsiding especially after Littler's nine-darter moved him two legs clear.
He fought back to 3-3 and struck back at 4-4 after Littler had broken his throw again, only for the defending champion to make his decisive move.
An average of 107.67 saw him comfortably see off Rob Cross 6-2 in the semis - a game that was finished off with a 120 checkout having earlier checked out 109 to quell a Cross fightback.
He ensured he would leave with points on the board by beating Nathan Aspinall 6-3 in his quarter-final, averaging a shade over 102.
More to follow
Quarter-finals
Chris Dobey 6-2 Stephen Bunting
Luke Humphries 4-6 Michael Van Gerwen
Luke Littler 6-3 Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price 5-6 Rob Cross
Semi-finals
Chris Dobey 1-6 Michael Van Gerwen
Luke Littler 6-2 Rob Cross
Final
Michael Van Gerwen 4-6 Luke Littler (Littler hits nine-darter)