Luke Littler is edging closer to glory at the World Darts Championship, but the darts sensation is prepared to have a quiet celebration to ring in the New Year.
No player has enjoyed 2024 quite like the 17-year-old, who won 10 PDC titles in the space of 12 months after his emphatic run to last year’s final before losing to Luke Humphries.
But with Humphries dumped out of the tournament by Peter Wright, Littler is now the sure-fire favourite to take the crown after battling past Ryan Joyce.
The event has been paused for one day due to the New Year celebrations, which has allowed Littler some rare time off to spend with his loved ones.
And far from going on a wild night out, the Warrington native is planning a quiet evening, which may include a meal out with his parents.
“I’ll just chill out on New Year’s Eve with mum and dad,” Littler told talkSPORT. “We’ll probably go out for some food. But there’s not a lot of celebrating going on.
“There wasn’t last year. It was just having that day off to chill and come back on New Year’s Day.”
The teenager had to dig deep with a tense 4-3 victory over Joyce, having been pegged back three times by ‘Relentless’, who is 22 years his senior.
But the Nuke kept his cool in the seventh and final set to win 3-1 and clinch his place in the last eight at Alexandra Palace in front of a star-studded crowd.
A select group of Premier League stars turned out to watch Littler in action, with Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale giving him a hug after his win. Tottenham’s Micky Van de Ven and Manchester City’s Kyle Walker were also in attendance.
Littler’s family had travelled south from the Chesire town to catch a glimpse of their starlet in action and were probably not expecting such a tight contest. His mother had looked particularly nervous during the final-set showdown and Littler admitted he could sense his mum’s anxiety.
“I know she was probably feeling it,” he added. “All my friends travelled down today from Warrington. They said, ‘what have you just done to us?’ I said, ‘I just won for you’.”
Littler’s favoured cuisine to celebrate with has been a traditional kebab, and he hinted at ordering another doner special when he beat Matt Campbell in the third round.
The Ally Pally favourite asked the crowd for their feedback on what food he should chow down, and their response was emphatic.
“I asked the Ally Pally what they wanted me to eat and they said kebab so kebab it is!” Littler said.
But after taking another step closer to the £500,000 prize, Littler may well prefer to dine out on a more expensive meal when sitting down with his family.
