Warrington's Luke Littler crowned PDC World Youth Champion

Luke Littler, the up-and-coming darts player, continues to gain momentum and there is no indication that his success will slow down anytime soon.

In a short span of time, the Padgate Academy student will be entering the largest platform of his early career. Furthermore, he was declared as the supreme young player globally.

Last Sunday, a 16-year-old from Warrington won the title of 2023 PDC World Youth Champion, defeating a strong challenge from Gian Van Veen of Holland in the finale.

"The Nuke" had an outstanding 2023 season on the PDC circuit, ultimately winning five Winmau Development Tour championships to solidify his spot on the PDC Tour for the next couple of years.

He won against Van Veen in an exceptional final match, with an average score of 102.16 and achieving seven 180s, earning him the championship title.

Currently, he is prepping for his first appearance at the PDC World Darts Championships, which is considered to be the sport's largest platform. The event is taking place at London's Alexandra Palace. Later today, he will find out who his first challenger in the competition will be, as the draw is revealed live on Sky Sports News.

"It's incredible. I don't have the right words to express it," Littler exclaimed.

"I started off really quickly, but Gian was gaining on me and I'm relieved that I managed to finish first."

I have successfully obtained a Tour Card for the next two years, and I will be competing in the World Championship in a few weeks.

"I am really excited about the opportunity to perform in front of a huge audience, and I believe this will greatly enhance my performance. I am eagerly looking forward to reaching Ally Pally."

Littler was overjoyed as she reached the final and was seen celebrating in the picture taken by Kieran Cleeves for PDC.

At the start of the final game, Littler took control and calmed any anxieties by quickly breaking the first leg with only 14 darts thrown. This was on the very stage where Luke Humphries would later go on to defeat Michael van Gerwen and be crowned the Players Championship champion.

Van Veen, the winner of this year's Development Tour Order of Merit beating Littler, responded quickly to tie the game. However, Littler stepped up his game and took control.

He managed to clinch the third leg in only 12 darts and then unleashed a series of exceptional shots, taking him to a 5-1 lead and just one step away from winning the game.

Still, the player from the Netherlands rallied with successful checkouts of 94, 100, and 120, bringing the score to 5-4. However, on the tenth leg, he failed to hit the double five and missed the chance to force a final round.

Littler was the last one to throw his dart at double 20, sealing a thrilling triumph and pocketing a cash prize of £10,000. Both athletes have additionally secured a spot at the prestigious Grand Slam of Darts competition by advancing to the championship round.

In the blog, it was written that Littler made it to the final by defeating Keane Barry, a former UK Open semi-finalist, in the last 16. He then had an average score of 101 when he beat Sebastian Bialecki from Poland in the semi-finals.

In the last 16, Littler defeated Keane Barry who had previously made it to the UK Open semi-finals. Then, in the semi-finals, Littler achieved an average score of 101 against Poland's Sebastian Bialecki.

During the quarter-finals of August, Van Veen eliminated the defending champion, Rock. Later on, in the semi-final, Van Veen competed with Wessel Nijman and won with an excellent 103 average in a great quality match.

Before the Minehead decider on Sunday, the teenager had trumped Littler to take home the championship, having previously been second to the Dutchman on the Development Tour Order of Merit.