Luke Littler has revealed what Nathan Aspinall said to him after he hit a stunning nine darter in the quarter-finals of the Bahrain Darts Masters.
The 16-year-old defeated Michael van Gerwen 8-5 in the final to claim his first senior PDC title with a clean sweep of the event.
It was the third of three games on a tough day for Littler, starting with a matchup against world No. 4 Aspinall in the quarterfinals.
And in what was expected to be a high-scoring, fast-paced matchup, Littler got off to an ideal start.
In the first leg of the match, ‘The Nuke’ hit the traditional 180-180-141 route to perfection in his first televised nine-darter.
He then broke Aspinall’s throw to take a 2-0 lead in the match, and Littler then strode forward while the Stockport-born dirtist quickly broke back to equalize 2-2. secured a 6-3 victory.
‘The Nuke’ then defeated Gerwyn Price on the same scoreline in the semi-final, earning him the title and £20,000 prize money with a historic victory over Van Gerwen.
talk to ITV’s Dan Dawson Shortly after the game, Littler, who had already hit nine darters on the development tour and in youth games, admitted, “It was nice to get one on TV.”
The usually reserved 16-year-old couldn’t help but let out a shout of celebration after scoring his final double 12. The crowd rejoiced at the achievement.
Aspinall was clearly delighted as he applauded the darts sensation, but shortly afterwards sent a message to Littler that put the feat a little more in context.
Littler explained: “After I hit it, Nathan said, ‘It’s just holding the throw!’
“I said, ‘I know that myself!’
As already mentioned, ‘The Nuke’ took Aspinall’s comments into account and ultimately succeeded in breaking the world No. 4’s throw in the next leg.
Meanwhile, his nine-darter meant he became only the second PDC player to accomplish the feat in a World Series event, after legendary 16-time world champion Phil Taylor.
He’ll no doubt be hoping this isn’t the last ball he hits in his first season on the senior tour.