Phil Taylor responds after Luke Littler backed to ‘beat all his records’ by darts star | Other | Sport

Darts legend Phil Taylor has responded to claims about Luke Littler beating his monumental darts records.

‘The Power’ was the undisputed king of his generation, winning 14 World Darts Championship titles in total, including eight in a row between 1995 and 2002. He also picked up 16 World Matchplay crowns, 11 World Grand Prix triumphs and six Premier Leagues, among other accolades.

But with Littler pulling up trees during his first year on tour and picking up his first PDC ranking televised major at the Grand Slam of Darts on Sunday, some are starting to feel as though Taylor’s records could be under threat.

Martin Lukeman, the man Littler thrashed 16-3 in the Grand Slam final, is among them. “If he gets his head on, forget about Michael van Gerwen’s records, he’s going to beat Phil Taylor’s records,” said Lukeman. “If he keeps his head right and stays away from drink and girls, that boy is going to go very far. He’ll break records ridiculously.”

Littler has gone from a relative unknown to fifth in the PDC Order of Merit in the space of less than a year. He pushed Luke Humphries all the way in the world final in January and will attempt to go one better when he rocks up to the Ally Pally next month.

At only 17 years old, ‘The Nuke’ has got the world at his feet. Speaking on the prospect of breaking records after his Grand Slam win, Littler said: “If I want it, then I should get it. But it’s going to take quite some years to pick up the amount of trophies not only that Michael has got, but also Phil Taylor.”

Now, Taylor himself has weighed in on the chances of seeing his seemingly untouchable records smashed. And the 64-year-old reckons Littler has got a better chance of doing so than any player that has gone before him.

“I hope not,” he told talkSPORT. “I’ll tell you what though, if there’s anybody that could do it, it’s this young lad now. He’s got the age on his side, and he’s got the ability, so you never know, you never know.”

Littler could yet climb even higher in the rankings by the time the World Darts Championship gets underway, with the Players Championship Finals kicking off in Minehead on Friday and £120,000 on offer for the winner.