Luke Littler found a new way to leave his opponent and fans stunned as he finished a leg on three straight double 20s at the latest Premier League Darts meeting in Sheffield. The teenage sensation took on Peter Wright in the opening match, with the clash locked at 2-2 when he was faced with a 120 finish.
But rather than take the traditional ‘shanghai’ route, which constitutes a treble, single, and then double 20, Littler tried something entirely different. He duly hit the famous ‘double tops’ three times in a row to take a 3-2 lead and send the crowd into raptures.
While the 17-year-old simply grinned at his audacious effort, the reaction of Wright told its own story. ‘Snakebite’ was taking a swig of water when his opponent stepped up to the oche, and appeared to then spill his bottle when he saw his opponent’s finish.
“He spilled his drink, he actually spilled his drink,” shouted Wayne Mardle, commentating for Sky Sports Darts. It proved the catalyst for Littler to go on and win 6-4, ensuring he will head into the play-offs in London next week having finished top of the table.
On social media, the official PDC account was quick to post the clip, adding the caption “TOPS, TOPS, TOPS! THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS! Luke Littler sends the crowd absolutely wild here in Sheffield, producing an extraordinary 120 checkout which leaves Peter Wright stunned!”
@RomfordTipster replied with “That is absolutely outrageous” while @joshpearson180 added “LUKE LITTLER STOP THAT IMMEDIATELY.” @AZPorteous joked “Luke Littler hitting three double 20’s for a 120 finish is filth.”
@YeatesMichael wrote: “Top level sport is crazy! I’ve just seen Luke Littler hit three tops to check out 120 followed by Scottie Scheffler hitting an eagle on the first at the PGA Championship.”
The PDC World Championship runner-up will face either Nathan Aspinall or Michael Smith in the final four. The pair took to the stage after the opener in a match pivotal to the qualification hopes of both players.
However, Littler won’t know until the end of the night who he will face in his semi-final at the O2 Arena next week. Wright meanwhile, could well have thrown his last dart in the Premier League following a wretched campaign where he won just twice in 16 weeks.
