Luke Littler’s World Darts title win at Ely Pally felt ‘inevitable’ even though it wasn’t

What has stood out for Littler since his rise to prominence is his confidence even in the most stressful moments and this was more evident than ever in his second World Final.

While Ally Paly was at the height of fever in the moments before the walk-on, Littler was the picture of calm.

There was no frenetic energy and no eagerness to climb up and down the stage as he stopped and shook hands with several fans wearing his shirt, before eventually climbing the stairs toward Oche.

However, remarkably, the new world number two looked even more comfortable once the action resumed.

Throw’s break in the early stages – drawing a thunderous roar from the fans – no doubt helped but the way he proceeded to blow away Van Gerwen in the first four sets was nothing short of spectacular.

“Tonight and throughout the tournament, I just needed to start fast,” Littler told Sky Sports.

“Earlier today, I watched the whole game against Luke (Humphries, last year’s finalist) and I had visions of it.”

Whatever those dreams were, even in his worst nightmares, he would not have expected to make such a blazing start and see himself 4-0 up with only three legs to fall.

It is often said that younger players do not have the fear that can hold back their older counterparts, but the change is believed to be a rashness that leads to mistakes or at least a degree of inconsistency.

But it was nothing like that. His scoring was as consistent as ever and for a time it looked as if he would not be able to miss his favorite double 10.

Instead of a young player, it was the 35-year-old former champion and veteran of the game who was under pressure to make costly mistakes.

Van Gerwen’s disbelief at what was happening was only matched by the crowd, who immediately realized that they might not be getting to see a thriller but it could be just as fun to watch a masterclass.

Three-time world champion, John Part, said, “It’s almost like Luke Littler playing with a cat and mouse, make (Michael van Gerwen) think he’s doing OK, then beat him with a 180 and get first. Get to the finish.” Sky Sports.

“It’s a cruel thing.”