Luke Littler has acquired his fair share of admirers since rising to fame at the World Darts Championship. And as he went head-to-head against Dirk van Duijvenbode at the Dutch Darts Masters on Friday evening, one girl in the crowd couldn’t hide her adoration for the star as she held up a sign that read: “Call me when you’re 18.”
Littler became an overnight sensation at the World Darts Championship as he cruised to the final after dropping just six sets in his first six matches. The ace, who turned 17 last weekend, was then on course to lift the Sid Waddell trophy as he took a 4-2 lead against Luke Humphries in the showpiece event. But the youngster fell at the final hurdle as he was ultimately dispatched 7-4.
Littler went on to win his first PDC title last Friday as he overcame three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in the Bahrain Darts Masters final after hitting a nine-dart finish during his quarter-final clash with Nathan Aspinall. And Littler is eyeing more silverware in the Netherlands after comfortably seeing off Van Duijvenbode 6-2.
Littler has clearly been enjoying himself at the oche in recent weeks and has maintained his imperious levels match after match. And on Friday, a blonde girl in the crowd in Den Bosch revealed exactly what she thought of the teenager during the early stages of the player’s latest encounter as she held her sign in front of the camera, danced around and blew a kiss to television viewers.
Littler is not a single man, having been in a relationship with 21-year-old Eloise Milburn since last year after the pair reportedly met online while playing the Xbox. And the couple have recently spoken out about the abuse they’ve received on social media due to their age gap.
“We knew people would find out [about the relationship] but it started off very bad,” Littler told The Guardian. “As the weeks go on [the abuse] has been almost forgotten. We’ve been talking for a few months now.
“I’ve brung her along to the worlds, got to the final and whatever people say, they can say it. It’s not going to affect me or my mental strength. I’ve got guys doing my Instagram now and they delete it before I see it.”
Littler is set to take on World Darts Championship nemesis Humphries in the last eight of the Dutch Darts Masters after the 28-year-old thrashed Jermaine Wattimena 6-0 in their match on Friday. And the youngster told ITV: “I’m happy with the way I played. I’m happy with my scoring and my finishing.”
