Luke Littler, 16, beats five-time champion Raymond van Barneveld to reach World Darts Championship q-finals

LONDON – English teenager Luke Littler continued his dream run at the World Darts Championship with a 4-1 victory over five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld in the last 16 on Dec 30.

The 16-year-old averaged 105 and hit nine 180s to overpower the veteran Dutchman, 56, to become the youngest player to reach the world championship’s quarter-finals.

“Unbelievable. My average has shown it, my double percentage has shown it. I don’t know what to say,” the youngster, who was born 21 days after van Barneveld won his last world title in 2007, told Sky Sports.

“He (van Barneveld) said ‘you can go all the way, I hope you can go all the way’. I said ‘thank you’ – he’s a true gentleman and I respect Raymond.”

Van Barneveld told Viaplay after the match at Alexandra Palace that “it looks like you’re throwing against a darts robot”.

“There was no honour to be gained from this at all,” he added. “I haven’t thrown that bad at all, but this is not normal... Tonight I have to recognise my superior in this young lad and I wish him the best of luck.” 

Littler, who has pocketed £50,000 (S$84,000) in prize money, said he is “daring to dream now” after beating one of his idols.

“I am only three wins away now. I’m so young, only 16 and I have got nothing to fear, I have got no one to fear. My game can be better than anyone’s on the day and I have shown it there against one of the greatest to have graced that stage,” said Littler, who will face Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan in the quarter-finals on New Year’s Day.

When asked if he believed he could lift the trophy, he said: “I fancy myself, I do fancy myself, but we have Brendan next. Let’s just focus on Brendan.”

Dolan is also in fine form, beating two-time champion Gary Anderson 4-3 in the last 16 after defeating 2021 champion Gerwyn Price in the previous round. The Ulsterman, having seen a 2-0 lead turned into a 2-3 deficit, forced a final set before the Scot crumbled under pressure.

“That was some game,” Dolan told Sky Sports.

“I was wondering what was wrong with Gary but then he kicked into gear and the next thing he’s ahead of me. I’m wondering ‘don’t let this go, make him win it’ – it was in the lap of the gods,” he added.

World No. 3 Luke Humphries also squeezed through to the next round with a pulsating win over Joe Cullen. The Englishman came back from a two-set deficit and two legs down in the deciding set to seal a 4-3 win in sudden death. He will meet Dave Chisnall in the last eight.

In the other quarter-finals, Scott Williams will meet three-time winner Michael van Gerwen, with 2018 winner Rob Cross up against Chris Dobey. REUTERS