Luke Littler was banned from competing at PDC event because he was too good | Other | Sport
Luke Littler was once banned from competing at a PDC event because he was too good.
The teenage sensation has taken the world of darts by storm ever since breaking onto the scene at the 2024 World Darts Championship.
Starting the tournament as a relatively nobody, the then 16-year-old shocked the world by reaching the final of the sport’s most prestigious tournament on his Alexandra Palace debut.
While he was denied a fairytale ending to his first-ever Ally Pally appearance, the tournament acted as a springboard for Littler’s already lucrative career, with over £1million having been earned in prize money in the 12 months following on from the Worlds.
But it was his first notable tournament win at the Bahrain Masters in late January that meant Littler was ruled out of competing at a further PDC event and even defending a title he’d won just months earlier.
After barely any time on the tour, Littler had catapulted all the way up to 30th in the PDC Order of Merit.
A phenomenal achievement for the fledgling darts ace, the only downside to Littler’s meteoric rise was it meant he couldn’t return to the PDC Development Tour – the darts event open to wannabe future pros aged 16-23.
That’s because the Development Tour was only open to players outside the top 32 in the world rankings, meaning Littler, who sat 30th at the time, wouldn’t have been able to compete. Essentially meaning he was banned for being too good!
Littler’s rise didn’t stop there though, as ahead of his second appearance at the Ally Pally in December 2024, the Runcorn-born gem held fourth position in the rankings.
And given he doesn’t turn 18 until the new year, the sky really is the limit for Littler.
Reflecting on his first year as a professional, Littler said earlier this year: “It goes to show how well I’ve done this year, but not only myself. [We] changed the sport of darts, all the other professionals, but I have played a big part in it.
“I know the amount of academies that have been brought up in different locations, how big the sport has got, tickets selling out for Ally Pally in hours and the Premier League sold out quick as well. It just goes to show how much I’ve changed it.”
If the teenager continues to trend in the same direction, there will be senior pros begging for him to be banned from the adult tournaments!
