Is it fair for a teenager, even one of such talent, to live with the hype and the pressure?
The hype machine was in overdrive through much of Saturday on Sky Sports. In one corner, there was the box office heavyweight title fight from the land of sportswashing while, in the other, came the near-constant build-up toNo contest, really.
Who really wanted to see Tyson Fury’s belt and shorts rolled up so far up his midriff that Oleksandr Usyk was left with the smallest of targets on the giant’s chest? So, Littler v Ryan Meikle it was. And, yet, by the time came for the sensational 17-year-old Littler to have his post-match interview with Abi Davies, the reality of what has been foisted upon the young Englishman – as if he were the saviour of darts – became worryingly apparent as tears rather than any words came his way. In fairness to Davies, she read the situation really well, allowed Littler to move away to shed those tears, and simply took a few steps further from the wunderkind to allow things move on. Irish Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards: ‘The greatest collection of women in Irish sport in one place ever assembled’ Two-time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington named Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year 2024 Pub staff struggled to keep up with giddy Shamrock Rovers fans who enjoyed every moment of Chelsea tripThe World Championships from the Alexandra Palace has become a mainstay of sporting theatre at this time of the year, starting out before Christmas before taking a short break and resuming again post-turkey dinners. The anticipated arrival of Littler, the pre-tournament favourite, had been milked by Sky Sports for days if not weeks. In the hours before his match with Meikle, the build-up became one of overload. There were video montages in slow motion with accompanying music and captions that proclaimed The Nuke or The Prince and there seemed an extra giddiness to the party of Mr Porky’s in the Oktoberfest audience when the earlier matches produced shocks with the departures of Danny Noppert and Raymond van Barneveld. Littler’s match had been preceded by van Barneveld’s loss to Nick Kenny, one where the so-called Barney Army – long-time supporters of the five-time champion from the Netherlands – were quietened and their man appeared by a pale shadow of his old self. His performance, indeed, was almost choreographed to bring on the main act, Littler! A year ago Littler had arrived on the scene as a 66-1 outsider and reached the final only to fall to Luke Humphries but he has dominated darts this season to the point that favouritism was plonked firmly on his young shoulders. Commentators Mark Webster and Dan Dawson were besides themselves ahead of Littler’s long-awaited return to the Ally Pally – having earlier in the week collected the BBC’s Young Sportsperson of the Year awards – with Webster describing to presenter Emma Paton his climb to the top of game inside 12 months as being “off the charts. He’s the biggest star in the sport.”An eleven darter, a ten darter and an eleven darter from Luke Littler as he averages 140.91 in the final set to beat Ryan Meikle.Losing wasn’t considered. The chitchat revolved around whether he would produce one or more nine-dart finishes and, indeed, he nearly did ... the narrowest of wires being the margin. Meikle put up quite the battle before Littler managed to get his mojo going and finished with style in a stunning final set. An 11-dart finish. A 10-dart finish. An 11-dart finish. Littler’s early nerves had seen him out of sorts but, by the time he’d won and moved on, the on-screen graphics confirmed his superiority in averaging 110.85 in a three-setter that saw him reach double-digits in 180s and have a doubles success of 50 per cent . The win was expected, the final set. “One of the greatest sets of darts potentially we have ever seen at the world championship,” said Dawson . “Even when he is subdued, even when he isn’t at his best, he doesn’t last long,” came the extra words, emphasising Littler’s capacity to get things done and dusted quickly. Yet, if anything, it was that post-match one-on-one between Littler and Davies that posed the real questions. Is it fair for a teenager, even one of such talent, to live with the hype and the pressure? It took 15 seconds for him to well up in emotion. The interview that wasn’t was all over in 52 seconds as Littler’s own words deserted him and the occasion got to him. “We’re just going to give you a moment ...” said a considerate Davies who, in fairness, realised it was time to let him find his own space. But no words were needed. The pressure of high-octane sport was there for one and all to see. Especially on such young shoulders.Patrick Mahomes shrugs off ankle problem as Chiefs beat Texans to close on top seed ‘It’s really f***ing starting to get to us as a team’ - Mack Hansen hits out at how Connacht are refereedThe Oscars aren’t fair. Just look at what’s happening to Cillian MurphyHousing remains a big problem, but I worry the real disaster lies ahead‘It’s really f***ing starting to get to us as a team’ - Mack Hansen hits out at how Connacht are refereedElon Musk could soon be as rich as the Netherlands Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers
Luke-Littler Darts World-Darts-Championship
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Luke Humphries Credits Weight Loss for World Darts Championship WinLuke Humphries has lost significant weight since the 2021 lockdown, leading to improved performance and his win in the World Darts Championship. The 29-year-old, now world No.1, attributes part of his success to his focus on fitness following a scary incident during a game.
Read more »
When Luke Littler is playing at World Championship as 17-year-old bids for gloryLuke Littler fans face a wait before seeing the teenage sensation in action at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, which gets underway on Sunday
Read more »
the Irish sensation aiming to light up World Darts ChampionshipHe is aiming to become this year’s Luke Littler and stun the world
Read more »
Darts is enjoying the Luke Littler effect, the gift that keeps on givingThe World Darts Championships may have outgrown the Ally Pally as its popularity continues to rise
Read more »
Luke Littler beats Ryan Meikle in record-breaking fashion at Alexandra PalaceThe latest sports news from The42.ie in 60 seconds
Read more »
Luke Littler explains why he burst into tears after victory at World ChampsThe 17-year-old beat Meikle 3-1 to advance to the third round of the PDC World Darts Championship at Ally Pally
Read more »