Lie-ins, pizza, Xbox – and an hour’s practice

ONE hour a day of practice, on a diet of kebabs, burgers and omelettes, is an unorthodox regime for a world-class sportsman.

But for Luke “the Nuke” Littler, the 16-year-old darts prodigy from Warrington, this daily routine has brought him to the cusp of making history as the youngest ever world champion.

Littler, who left school last year to pursue the game professionally, has disclosed that he has no plans to change his pre-match routine of sleeping in until midday before eating a ham and cheese omelette.

The teenager, who contested the World Darts Championship final yesterday against Luke Humphries, would then travel to the venue, “have my pizza and go on the practice board”, he said.

“It is what I have been doing every day – if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” he said after trouncing Rob Cross, the 2018 champion, who is 17 years his senior, on Tuesday.

Shortly after qualifying for the World Darts Championship, Littler revealed he trains for as little as 30 minutes each day. “At the moment I don’t practice much. I usually do 30 minutes to an hour a day,” he said in August last year.

“Some people probably won’t believe it, but if I’m playing against the best, then I’ve got to up my standard.”

Littler’s love of kebabs has been well evidenced during his run, celebrating his victories with meals from a kebab house only metres from his hotel in north London. On Tuesday, he posed for a photograph in the foyer of the Hilton Hotel, in Angel, tucking into a mixed-meat doner wrap from the fastfood chain German Doner Kebab.

Away from the tournament, Littler spends his downtime playing video games on his Xbox. It was during an online game of Fifa about four months ago that he met his future girlfriend, Eloise Milburn, 21. “I just wake up, play on my Xbox, have some food, have a chuck on the board and go to bed – that’s it,” he said this week.

Despite already winning £200,000 during the tournament, with the winner of the final picking up £500,000, Littler has no plans for a shopping spree. He told The Telegraph: “I always treat myself to some Under Armour tracksuits.

“And just get myself a new coat and get myself some Fifa points for my Xbox. That’s pretty much it.”

‘I always treat myself to some tracksuits. And just get myself a new coat and Fifa points for my Xbox’