Luke Littler set to land prestigious trophy whether he wins or loses World Darts Championship against Van Gerwen
TEEN darts sensation Luke Littler is set to bag silverware for his trophy cabinet tonight – whether he wins the PDC title or not.
The Nuke takes on three-time champion Michael van Gerwen in the Ally Pally showpiece.
Littler reached last year’s final against World No. 1 Luke Humphries, ultimately losing out 7-4.
The 17-year-old tore past Stephen Bunting on Thursday to book his place against MVG.
But even if he loses on the big stage tonight, The Nuke’s thirst for trebles means he is very likely walking away with a trophy.
Littler currently leads the race for the Ballon d’Art, a mammoth trophy given to the player who hits the most 180s in the tournament.
Warrington-born Luke has already found 64 maximums during this year’s World Championship, far more than any other player.
Van Gerwen needs to hit 21 more 180s than Littler to overtake him on the leaderboard tonight.
Far more likely is Littler chasing down Michael Smith‘s tournament record of 83.
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Bully Boy achieved the feat in 2022 when he finished runner-up to Peter Wright.
Littler will not receive a cash prize for lifting the Ballon D’Art, but will receive a massive 16kg trophy.
Paddy Power has donated £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every maximum scored in the tournament.
A spokesperson for the bookmakers said: “Football has the Ballon d’Or, so it’s only right that darts has the Ballon d’Art.
“It will be handed to the player who is literally single-handedly responsible for raising the largest sum of money for Prostate Cancer UK during the tournament.”
Van Gerwen may not won a PDC world title since 2019 but has found his best form on the Ally Pally oche this year.
The Dutchman is well aware the crowd will be behind Littler – but is out to spoil the party.
Referencing Littler’s loss to Humphries last year, MVG said: “Luke’s had a sniff [of the title]. I’m going to make sure he keeps by a sniff as well.
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“He’s got years! I think with his capability I will be surprised if he doesn’t beat it.
“But I don’t look at stats. People say ‘Are you going to beat Phil Taylor’s stats’. I don’t care.
“It’s about what you do now and whoever is in your path, you face it.”