353 days later, the bookies’ favourite needs to free one hand from holding up the darting world just to throw, millions of pounds and eyeballs and dreams depending on his continued ascent.
The deals, drives and dollars that changed Luke Littler's life
Read MoreChants of “There’s only one Luke Littler” began long before the man himself had emerged. The crowd’s rendition of his walk-on song lasted long after the screaming speakers did. Littler clapped his fans, they clapped back. The world waited.
Not five minutes later, having pinned double top to win the set, he was calming his family and himself, patting the air and saying “Guys, I’m here. Relax”.
Meikle won the second set. Suddenly, for the first real time, the spectre of a Littler loss appeared just slightly too real.
In his first-round match against Christian Kist last year, Littler averaged over 106 – the highest-ever Round of 96 total until Callan Rydz topped it earlier this week.
Littler slipped south of 93 early in this match, but finished it over 100, thanks to perhaps the greatest set of darts ever thrown, averaging 140.91 – a competitive PDC record. This was yet another new frontier, and the boy genius ended the match in tears from the unimaginable volume of it all.
His final pre-match Instagram post was an advert with Xbox, his newest sponsor. Everyone from KP Nuts to National Rail now has skin in the game, and in the five days around this match, he will feature on primetime shows for the BBC, ITV and Sky.
If you’re among the 250,000 people Barry Hearn claims couldn’t get tickets to the worlds, do not worry – these delightful numbers are available for the same price at lukelittler.co.uk, where you could throw in any number of phone cases, bottle openers and “The Nuke” beanies.
For TV and darts executives, returning to the Palace on 27 December without Littler wass a similarly daunting prospect. Realistically, the same will be true of every stage. The man who has doubled darting participation and viewership can halve it too. The Nuke giveth, and the Nuke taketh away.
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