A tearful Luke Littler spoke of the toll his Premier League campaign had taken on him as he became champion after beating Luke Humphries 11-10 at The O2 in London.
Littler sit top of the regular phase of the Premier League after winning six of their 16 games and go into Finals Night looking to win their second Premier League title in three games.
He started the night with a tight 10-9 win over Welshman Gerwyn Price, who was 9-4 down, before averaging over 111 in the classic final against ‘Cool Hand’, who once again went all the way.
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Littler broke down in tears in his post-match interview and admitted he had considered quitting the sport during the Premier League campaign.
After the tense win, Littler was visibly emotional as he spoke about his journey in the Premier League and recounted a difficult opening few weeks.
“It was a roller coaster for the first four weeks, we were down the leaderboard, but on the fifth night we won on our first night. We had to pick ourselves up. There were some tough times,” Littler said. sky sports.
“I think at Brighton we averaged around 79 and it was difficult, but here I am with a trophy.”
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A moment of triumph at The O2 as Littler wins his second Premier League title.
Humphries consoled his opponent and after Littler took time to collect himself again, the 19-year-old admitted the boos he received from the crowd had taken their toll.
The taunts against Littler worsened after the incident with Gian van Veen on Night Nine in Manchester.
In a tense decision, Van Veen missed a match dart and found Littler celebrating in front of the home crowd. The world champion turned back to the red clay and gestured angrily at his opponent.
Littler missed his chance to throw for the game and Van Veen did not allow him a revisit as he wrapped up a quarter-final win. But not before Littler made a howling gesture to the crowd and shared a brief handshake with his rival.
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Littler was met with boos and cheers as he walked onto the stage to face Gerwin Price in the Premier League semi-final.
The following week at Brighton, Littler was booed once again as he lost to Stephen Bunting, recording his lowest PDC TV average.
Littler said the crowd reaction made him not want to play during those weeks, and his emotional interviews were cut short when he went to see his loved ones.
“After the Brighton and Manchester incident, I was sitting at home and I said to Faith (his partner), ‘I don’t want to do this anymore, I just want to have an audience every week.’ I told her, ‘I feel really bad.’”
Humphries: The less reaction we get, the more we know how much it means.
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Wayne Mardle talks about Littler’s abilities and whether the teen sensation has peaked yet.
Humphries was as kind as ever despite the defeat and after consoling Littler, he explained why such a big moment was so full of emotion, especially considering the lengths the players have put into the Premier League campaign.
“It’s emotional. You saw it with Luke there. You’re playing in a big final and it shows how much it means to us as players,” he said. sky sports.
“You’re on the road for 16 or 17 weeks and I don’t get a chance to take my family with me. You want to hold that trophy in your hands.
“It was a great final, one of the best finals in the Premier League and I’m proud of how we played a tough game.”
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