Sky Sports activities’ Wayne Mardle believes what Luke Littler has achieved in darts is “ridiculous” however thinks he might be actually judged when he goes on the defence of his title on the World Darts Championship.
Littler pulled off his first-ever title defence with a 16-11 victory over Luke Humphries on the Grand Slam of Darts, changing into solely the fourth participant to retain the title alongside Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, and Gerwyn Worth.
Not solely that, his run to the ultimate moved him into the world No 1 spot to usurp ‘Cool Hand’, Littler making extra historical past because the youngest world No 1 within the historical past of the PDC.
Whereas it means Littler has now picked up eight main titles in his brief skilled profession, Mardle thinks the true judgement day arrives in December when Littler heads to Alexandra Palace with the duty of changing into solely the fourth participant to develop into a back-to-back world champion. Certainly, he would be part of simply Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, and Adrian Lewis in retaining the trophy.
“That’s how you get judged. You’re always judged on being a world champion and how many you win,” Mardle mentioned.
“If he was to win 5 of those Grand Slams and just one world title, it might be a query of why did he solely win one world title?
“There was a time when Michael van Gerwen gained 26 occasions in a single yr, however did not win the Worlds. He actually mentioned, I might swap the whole thing for being a world champion.
“These are interesting times and exciting times. Whilst this is absolutely huge right now, the Worlds is the biggest thing.”
The rise of the youngsters
With the ‘Littler impact’ in full swing, Mardle says he wouldn’t be shocked to have semi-finals of youngsters on the Worlds in just some years’ time with the extent of darts being performed now by children on the circuit.
“It is ridiculous, and because we’ve really never seen it before, it seems even more ridiculous,” he added.
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Luke Littler hit two huge finishes – 167 and 160 – which noticed Luke Humphries tease ‘The Nuke’.
“In four or five years, it wouldn’t surprise me if the semi-finals of the World Championship consisted of four teenagers.
“If you happen to would have mentioned that earlier than Luke Littler, it might have been, are you mad? Now, it appears doable.
“It seems like there will be another Luke Littler around the corner. I’m not saying in the next year or so, but in the next two or three.
“Children watching him might be impressed to be like him, like I used to be watching Eric Bristow like another person watching Phil Taylor.
“In a way, you kind of have to forget his age and everything now, because the experience he’s got and how good he is, it’s beyond his age.
“Say he is at this type of degree for the subsequent 4 or 5 years. Why cannot he go on and win one other three or 4 World Championships?”
This means war: A golden era continues
Despite all his success, Littler does truly have a rival in Humphries standing in his way, with the pair both declaring themselves in a “league of their very own” from the rest.
Humphries was bullish that Worlds glory would be his and Mardle enjoys seeing the pair lean into their rivalry.
“What was actually good is to listen to Luke Humphries afterwards say that they’re one of the best two,” he said.
“I do not assume he bigs himself up sufficient, and I do not know why he is bigging himself up now, after shedding the No 1 spot, he ought to have been doing that earlier than.
“The pair of them go at it in a different way to the others. You are feeling like they’ll do it each single day, each single match, and it doesn’t matter what the state of affairs. Others must match them, they do not must match anybody.
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Luke Humphries declared that he will struggle with Luke Littler on the World Darts Championship as the 2 shared some pleasant phrases after Littler’s Grand Slam of Darts win.
“But when you look at the way they go about their business, it is elevated because the others are so good, but just not as good as them.
“To listen to Luke Humphries be actually buoyant after defeat, good on him.
“I wish he was this buoyant when he was the World No 1 and the world champion.
“It is a good time for anybody to observe darts, to return to darts, to be concerned in darts, as a result of these two are making a golden period between them. They are surely.”
Who will win Worlds?
So, if the Worlds actually is judgement day, who’s Mardle calling to win it?
He’s going for the predictable but most certainly reply: One other Luke vs Luke closing.
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Luke Littler retained his Grand Slam of Darts crown with a convincing win over Luke Humphries.
“There’s maybe seven, eight, nine players that can win it,” Mardle mentioned.
“But these two are the two. They’re the ones to beat.
“I’ll predict will probably be a Luke and Luke closing – boringly – however that is the way in which it’s, as a result of that they’re head and shoulders above.”
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