Luke Littler laughs in embarrassment as darts star forced to ask for help | Other | Sport
Luke Littler has been in unstoppable form in the Darts Premier League of late, but a water bottle lid prevented him from securing a flawless evening in a funny incident in Liverpool on Thursday night. The teenager was spotted asking the marker to open his bottle of water for him ahead of his clash with Rob Cross.
Littler moved to the top of the Premier League Darts standings on Thursday when landing his third nightly win. The 17-year-old was in good spirits throughout the evening, enjoying the hostile welcome from the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
The Manchester United-supporting darts fan light-heartedly played up to the crowd, gesturing about their recent 2-0 loss at the hands of Everton which looks set to cost them the title. However, although Littler’s antics were well-received, he did accidentally make himself the butt of the joke ahead of his final against Cross.
Sky Sports spotted that the teen was in conversation with the marker before getting underway, asking the individual to open his water bottle for him. A few slow-motion shots of the incident followed, with Littler spotted laughing in embarrassment as he walked back to his table.
Littler ensured that he did not allow the tight-gripped water bottle lid to throw him off his course, keeping his cool to cruise to victory over Cross. The teen raced into a 5-0 lead and threatened to whitewash his rival before losing the following two legs.
But the chances of a comeback, which would have replicated Littler’s impressive turnaround from the same position against Nathan Aspinall in the semi-finals, were soon put to bed with The Nuke landing the eighth leg.
Speaking about the crowd after his victory, Littler said: “I knew what was coming this week, I was building up to it, I always engage with the crowd and in the semi-final I was playing with complete freedom. I just felt comfortable, I knew what was coming, and I was glad to win.
“I was expecting the worst. It was a bit bad but I didn’t help myself, but I stayed calm and won all of my games. It is just banter, I knew what I got myself into and I knew what was going to happen. I knew it would be totally different, I was just happy tonight. I think I won!”