Littler continues scintillating form with fourth Premier League nightly win

Last week, darts prodigy Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler extended his lead at the top of the BetMGM Premier League table to eight points, cruising past Stephen Bunting, Rob Cross, and world number one Luke Humphries in Newcastle en route to securing a fourth nightly win on Night Eight.

In front of a bumper crowd including Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup heroes Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, and Harvey Barnes, Littler averaged just under 110 as he swept aside the still-winless Bunting in straight legs in a matter of minutes, with Cross and then Humphries not fairing much better.

Victory marked a second consecutive nightly win for Littler</span

Even still, Littler was far from his scintillating best in Newcastle. In the final, Humphries missed nine from ten attempts at double as a self-admitted “tired” Littler was hardly forced to break a sweat in the eventual 6-1 triumph.

Speaking to Sky Sports following the conclusion of the night’s action, Littler confessed to not being in perfect condition owing to the hectic schedule, but was delighted to secure “more points on the board”.

Victory over Humphries marked a second consecutive nightly win for Littler, following on from his victory over Michael van Gerwen in the fourth leg of Night Seven’s final, in which he averaged a sensational 112.5 and hit a nine-darter – his second of the month.

Elsewhere on Night Eight, Cross defeated Gerwyn Price 6-2 in their quarter-final to move level on points with Price in the Premier League standings, despite the Welshman’s two nightly wins. Nathan Aspinall edged three-time PDC World Champion van Gerwen 6-5 to move to within two points of the final playoff place, currently occupied by Price.

Winning Night Two of the Premier League in mid-February kickstarted Littler’s resurgence

Since becoming the youngest-ever PDC World Champion in January, aged just 17, Littler has replicated his Premier League form elsewhere, having already amassed his third career European Tour gong at the Belgium Darts Open as well as his maiden UK Open title, both in early March.

Despite his recent form, though, Littler endured what could be ascribed to a World Championship hangover earlier this year.

Littler suffered surprise premature exits in January’s Bahrain and then Dutch Darts Masters, as well as in the opening non-televised Players Championship events of the season, before being heavily criticised in the press for arriving late to the photoshoot for the Premier League’s Belfast launch in early February.

Littler, having admitted to oversleeping, fellow star van Gerwen emphasised that his rival is “not a baby anymore” and advised he “needs to learn”, but Littler took the criticism in his stride and accepted responsibility.

Winning Night Two of the Premier League in mid-February kickstarted Littler’s resurgence, and the reigning World Champion has not looked back since.