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Luke 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
It’s the most wonderful time of year! ‘Dartsmas’ is almost upon us, with the World Championship bursting into life at Alexandra Palace on Sunday night. It’s been another unforgettable year on the oche, with the two Lukes – Humphries and Littler – hogging the headlines.
They kicked off the year with an epic Ally Pally final, which Humphries won 7-4 over the then 16-year-old sensation. Littler got his own back by winning the Premier League final, and after a few early exits in major tournaments, he took his first major ranking title with an astonishing display of throwing at November’s Grand Slam of Darts. Now ranked fourth in the world, Littler is the bookies’ favourite to lift the Sid Waddell on January 3, just ahead of world number one Humphries. The spotlight will again be on the 17-year-old from Warrington, who recently starred in a Sky documentary series about the sport as well as making the shortlist for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award. Here’s everything you need to know about watching Littler in action… When does the World Darts Championship start? The World Championship kicks off on Sunday night with three first-round matches and a second-round tie. As is customary, the defending champion, Humphries, will be in action on the opening night. Cool Hand will face the winner of the tournament opener between Frenchman Thibault Tricole and Australian debutant Joe Comito. The other two matches are Jermaine Wattimena vs Stefan Bellmont and Kim Huybrechts vs Keane Barry. The winners will face James Wade and Gerwyn Price, respectively, in round two. When is Luke Littler playing at the World Darts Championship? Darts fans will have to be patient before seeing Littler back on the famous stage. The boy wonder won’t be in action until next weekend, the night of Saturday, December 21. That means the boxing fan will properly have to miss the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. A box office attraction in his own right, Littler could face the ‘Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock, but only if she overcomes Ryan Meikle in a tough first-round tie on Tuesday. How can I watch Luke Littler? As usual, Sky Sports will show every match from Ally Pally live. If you're not a Sky Sports subscriber, you can purchase a sports membership from the Sky-owned NOW streaming service. It’s £14.99 for a day pass and £26 for a monthly membership, reduced from the usual price of £34. If that’s not for you, talkSPORT will have live radio commentary throughout the tournament.
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