- Luke Littler suffered an agonising defeat to Luke Humphries in Ally Pally final
- He revealed his ‘mind went blank’ when given the chance to go 5-2 up
- Littler also revealed he pre-match ritual, including playing Football Manager
Luke Littler has revealed his ‘mind went blank’ just before missing a crucial dart that would have put him 5-2 up in the World Darts Championship final against Luke Humphries.
The 16-year-old sensation was handed a crushing defeat against Humphries, who recovered from 4-2 down to win the next five sets to claim the trophy and end the teenager’s incredible run to the final.
Littler appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain the following morning to discuss his heartbreaking evening and open up about what he learned from his eye-opening experience over the last month.
The teenager had initially raced away against Humphries and only needed a double two to take a commanding 5-2 lead before missing the chance – and he was asked by presenters Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard what he was thinking before that crushing moment.
After taking out a 122 beforehand he forgot which number was required to take the leg – and had to ask the referee ‘what to go for’.
Luke Littler has revealed his ‘mind went blank’ before missing the crucial dart to go 5-2 up in the World Darts Championship final against Luke Humphries
The 16-year-old sensation threw a 122 before having to ask the referee what to go for
He discussed the agonising moment while appearing on ITV show Good Morning Britain after his 7-4 loss to Humphries
Humphries recovered to make it 4-3 before pushing onwards to victory and Littler said remembering what number to go for was his biggest takeaway from the punishing night.
‘Don’t forget what you have to go for! Always know what to go for. I think it’s just the more you play, the more you get used to what you go for and where you finish. You get used to it.
‘From the World Championships I’ll take all the experience I’ve got, all the fans and the fans who have gathered around me.’
Littler also gave Reid and Shephard a breakdown of what his pre-match ritual was – including feasting on pizza and playing a popular computer game to ease his nerves.
‘I woke up at 12!’ he said. ‘I had scrambled eggs and beans on toast for dinner. Got the venue, signed everyone in, got the wristbands on. I had my margharita pizza, throw for half an hour, 45 minutes, play a bit of Football Manager and then back on the board. I can’t wait to go back on my Xbox!
The 16-year-old has vowed to learn from the experience as he revealed his pre-match routine
He was powerless to prevent Humphries from winning and hailed him as a ‘top man’
When asked why he didn’t bring his Xbox down to London for the competition, he added: ‘I Didn’t expect to get to the final!
Littler’s success has triggered a frenzy on social media, with many onlookers joking they want to raise their children to be darts players and the teenager, despite emerging as one of the best talents in the sport in recent years, gave a surprising admission about how long he practises for.
‘Believe it or not, around half an hour or 45 minutes a day I just practise on my own, it gets boring! There’s an Xbox next to me, there’s the board there – so I just go on my Xbox.’
Finally, he paid tribute to his winning opponent Humphries after his victory but said he hoped to end his winning streak in the future.
‘He’s just a top guy,’ Littler added. ‘There was pictures from five years ago when we played at a competition and he beat me. All respect to him, he’s on an 18/19 winning streak. He’s won past four majors – hopefully I can stop the streak somewhere else.
