One hundred & eaty
Luke kebab shop names doner after him
EXCLUSIVE JOHN KELLY
BY A KEBAB shop owner pal of darts sensation Luke “The Nuke” Littler today unwraps the doner meal that helped fuel his rise to fame. Sihad Baba says the 16-year-old’s secret weapon is a €7.50 combo that hits the bullseye for him every time. And now Sihad, who co-owns Hot Spot with his brother Hamido in Luke’s home town of Warrington, Cheshire, has named it the Luke Littler Wrap in the star’s honour. Sihad, 17, who calls himself Luke’s “personal chef ”, revealed he always orders the doner with extra meat, salad and mayo with chips, red salt and a Pepsi. He said: “It’s his special and he has it every time. “Often, he orders through Just Eat but sometimes he comes in with his dad and they might order garlic bread cheese as an extra. “I’ve known Luke since Year 7. He’d never cause trouble at school. He has never changed, no matter what success he had. He’s a lovely bloke.” But Luke does cause some trebles now as he faces rivals at the oche. He was the sensation of the PDC World Championship
at Alexandra Palace this week, where he was bidding to be the youngest winner but was beaten 7-4 in the final by Luke Humphries, 28.
He still took home €232,000 in prize money and his branded darts, priced at €120 a pack, have sold out, says St Helens Darts Shop owner Karl Holden – who also runs the darts academy, which Luke joined aged nine.
Karl, 53, said: “The manufacturer is struggling to keep up with demand. Luke’s relit the touch paper for darts. Luke was phenomenal even at nine. He is getting publicity like no other player in history but will keep his feet on the ground.
“Darts had become stale. Even I was beginning to get bored with the same players winning all the time. Luke has changed all that.
“All the darts academies are saying there are queues of mums and dads trying to enrol their children.”