‘LITTLER WAS THE KID WHO GOT US ALL DREAMING’
Lukes – a 143% rise on 2023 viewership figures.
Humphries was delighted with his win. “I had to get this one because he’s going to dominate world darts soon,” he said afterwards. “He’s an incredible talent.”
Luke, who won the runner-up purse of £200 000 (R4,7 million), describes his magical run as “absolutely crazy”.
“Everywhere I go I can hear people saying, ‘Oh, there’s that 16-year-old,” he says. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
LUKE was still in nappies when he threw his first darts. A video his sister, Caitlin (21), shared on YouTube shows him at 18 months hitting a bull’seye on a magnetic dart board. He says he was inspired to try his hand at the game after seeing his taxi-driver father, Anthony Buckley, play at home.
“I was just looking up to him,” he recalls. “When we went to some shop, I pointed out the magnetic dart board because they looked similar, and the rest is history.”
His grandfather, Phil Littler, an amateur darts player, was blown away by the little boy’s accuracy.
“I was never as good as he is,” Phil says. “At the age of four, he was playing on a proper board, but needed a stool so he could reach up and pull his darts out.”
By the time he was nine, Luke was playing in pubs against adults in his hometown of Warrington in England.
He puts his success down to the encouragement he received from his dad and his mom, Lisa Littler, who works in a scented candle shop.
“It’s good to have a set of parents who are supportive and always there for me,” Luke says.
While he enjoyed playing soccer and rugby at school, he decided to focus on darts and joined St Helens Darts Academy to hone his skills.
“He was averaging stupid averages you should be [getting at] like 16 to 20 years old, but he was doing it at 10,” his former coach Karl Holden told Sky News.
Two years ago Luke quit school to focus on darts – but while he may be a full-time sportsman, he’s still a teen at heart. Most days he sleeps till noon and then puts in a maximum of an hour into training.
He’s glued to his Xbox pretty much most of the day and admitted returning to his console was what he was most looking forward to after the world champs.
His eating habits have also had people talking. He starts his day with a ham and cheese omelette and loves pizza, kebabs and burgers, washed down with Fanta or Coke.
“It is what I’ve been doing every day – if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” Luke says.
Luke’s rise up the ladder has been rapid: he turned professional during the pandemic and had played in only four professional events when he qualified for the world championships.
His almost middle-aged looks and incredible calm under pressure made people question if he really was only 16 – but the matter was put to rest when his family posted a picture of his birth certificate to prove it.
“It was pure jealousy and nastiness by adults attacking a young teenager on social media,” his aunt Leanne Seddon says. “To stop the hate, his parents posted proof of his age.”
STANDING by to console him was his beauty consultant girlfriend, Eloise Milburn (21). The couple started dating less than two months ago after meeting through a mutual friend while playing online video games. Eloise is an intermediate darts player and their love of the game created an instant bond.
However, their relationship sparked debate on social media with some people accusing Eloise of just being with Luke for fame and money. Eloise’s mother, Amanda, leapt to her defence. “My daughter is none of these things that these vile people are making out,” she said. “She’s a lovely young girl who’s in a new relationship and people should allow them to get on with things.”
And things are set to get a lot brighter for Luke. Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told Daily Mail the teen is a “branding dream at 16” and could “easily earn at least £1million (about R23m) by the end of the year”. Thanks to his penchant for fast food and fizzy drinks, brands such as Domino’s Pizza and Fanta could fight over themselves to sponsor him, Ede says. “And tech companies could be plotting the launch of an Xbox game.
“That’s on top of the TV and book deals he’s set to net.” Luke is already cashing in on his newfound fame, with his officially licensed darts sold out at a cost of £102 (R2 400) until February.
Hearn believes Luke is the future of darts. “He’s one of those players in 10 years’ time, we’ll look back and say, ‘That was the moment the game changed and went up another level’. “People are looking at Luke Littler and going, ‘Bloody Norah, why not me?’ It will inspire a generation.”