Luke Littler showed his class with his message to Martin Lukeman after putting him to the sword in the Grand Slam of Darts final. The Nuke picked up his first major TV ranking title with an emphatic 16-3 triumph, ensuring he would take home the £150,000 prize.
Littler made a slow start to proceedings, with Lukeman winning the first two legs to spark hope of a significant upset. However, the teenage superstar went on to claim 15 legs in a row before finishing the job to secure the honours in Wolverhampton.
Taking to social media after the match, Littler sent a classy message to Lukeman after being congratulated on his impressive victory.
Lukeman was gracious in defeat, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Well played mate, you are a legend. An honour to share the stage with you. Really proud of the week overall, thanks to my family, friends and everyone that has messaged. Means the world.”
In response, Littler said: “Top man. Been class this week, should be proud and all the best to you and your family.”
His victory over Lukeman saw him move to fifth place in the Order of Merit, having been ranked 164th a year ago. He also became the third player, after Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, to average over 100 in every match of a Grand Slam.
Littler certainly has no intention of slowing down in his quest to put his name in the history books. Asked if he was looking to break more records, he told Sky Sports: “If I want it, then I should get it.
“It’s going to take quite some years to pick up the amount of trophies, not only what Michael has got, but also Phil Taylor. I knew coming into the tournament, if I do get my hands on the trophy, which is a long way away, I’ll be up to number five in the world.
“There’s still another two more ranking tournaments to go, so hopefully I can go a bit higher than five. I was just very happy with my performance. The best feeling was when the ball of confetti came out. This is what we play for and the big titles we collect.
“The World Championship changed me, changed my family, but now the months have gone on and I’m just getting used to it all. I’m going to have to get used to it for a very long time. This is one of the ones I wanted to win.
“Obviously my major record isn’t the best, so it’s OK now. I just wanted to come here, go deep and it just shows them I’m still here. How will I celebrate? I’ll probably just go home, play on my Xbox.”
