Darts commentator Wayne Mardle immediately backtracked over his ‘terrible’ comments to Luke Littler during a chat with the teenage sensation and World Championship winner Luke Humphries. Mardle awkwardly corrected the 16-year-old as he reflected on his performance in Wednesday’s final, prompting Humphries to stick up for his rival.
In a thrilling showdown at Alexandra Palace, Littler came from behind to lead 4-2 and seemed destined to become the youngest-ever world champion. However, a remarkable fightback from Humphries saw him win five consecutive sets.
Littler reflected on the moments before his lead slipped away. However, he was brutally interrupted by Mardle correcting a point that he made.
“The leg before to go on 2-2. I was just 10 points off. I was like ‘What have I got, 4?’,” Littler said in a Sky Sports discussion.
“I stopped, slowed everything down and I wired it. It’s all I could have done. Then he wins the next three sets…”
Mardle interjected, harshly pointing out: “It was actually the next five but don’t worry about it.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t go so negative!” the victorious Humphries quipped to the infamously blunt commentator. Mardle, a four-time World Darts Championship semi-finalist, admitted: “I didn’t even mean that, that’s terrible.”
It comes after Mardle endearingly dubbed Littler “spiteful, dirty and nasty” during the final. The Warrington-born star had just hit a tremendous 122 checkout with two triple 18s and a double seven.
“That could be the one, that could be the one that breaks the number one’s heart, look at his (Humphries’) face. Look at his face,” Mardle enthused.
As Littler pursed his lips and pumped his fist in celebration, the 50-year-old added: “That was just spiteful, that was dirty, that was nasty. That was everything that Luke Littler wanted to do!”
Littler became a cult figure among fans after being thrust into the public eye. He joked that he was ‘bigger’ than winner Humphries.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s crazy to think the runner-up is bigger than the winner,” he said.“I was going into the game [thinking that] in a win or lose situation, I was always going to come out happy. It was a bit gutting standing there on my own watching Luke [Humphries] lift the trophy but he deserved it.
“He was the better man on the night, but I’m happy with runner-up. I was happy with winning one game, but getting to the final was just the bigger bonus.”
