Luke Littler admitted he considered walking away from darts after being booed by crowds, before defeating Luke Humphries in a dramatic Premier League final at the O2 Arena in London. The 19-year-old world number one won 11-10 in a last-leg decider, claiming a £350,000 prize and regaining the title he lost to Humphries last year.
Littler, from Warrington, fought back from 6-3 down to edge the thriller. The victory capped a season where he earned £410,000, including six nightly wins. However, the teenager struggled with the pantomime booing and whistling from the 16,000-strong crowd, which had followed him throughout the tournament.
In an emotional on-stage interview, Littler said: 'It's been a rollercoaster. The first four weeks I was at the bottom. After Brighton, I came off stage and in Manchester I was sat at home saying to my girlfriend Faith: 'I don't want to do it any more. Just the crowd every week. I'm down bad.'' He then broke down in tears, prompting Humphries to console him.
Earlier, Littler had survived a bad-tempered semi-final against Gerwyn Price, winning 10-9 after squandering six match darts. A flashpoint occurred when Price, not on a finish, scored 170 and mimed reeling in a 'big fish' while Littler was throwing. Referee Huw Ware warned Price, who later apologised but repeated the gesture after hitting 180.
Humphries reached the final by beating Jonny Clayton 10-9 in a seesaw match. Clayton led 9-7 but missed a chance to win after being distracted by a whistle from the crowd, allowing Humphries to level and clinch victory.
