Luke Littler has been preparing for his second World Darts Championship by playing fans virtually, but that hasn’t stopped his outrageous scoring.
The 17-year-old gained worldwide acclaim for his run to the final at the 2024 World Darts Championship and he’s the favourite to go one better at the Alexandra Palace event this year.
To prepare, Luke Littler spent his Saturday night throwing arrows with fans on Target Omni and he ended up hitting a three-dart average five points higher than the tournament’s highest ever.
Luke Littler scores 199.29 average ahead of World Darts Championship
Playing along with a fan, Littler won five legs in a row against his counterpart and pricked a few ears with his sky-high average.
The Nuke scored 119.29 across five legs, which is three points higher than his highest-ever average recorded at the Czech Darts Opens.
In nine legs, Littler scored 116.51 in a 6-3 victory over Damon Heta at the Euro Tour event. Of course, it was away from the bright lights of the big stages, but it set an intriguing precedent heading into the Alexandra Palace event.
| Highest three-dart averages ever recorded at the World Darts Championship | ||
| Avg. | Player | Year |
| 114.05 | Michael van Gerwen | 2017 (Semi-Final) |
| 111.21 | Phil Taylor | 2002 (2nd Round) |
| 110.94 | Phil Taylor | 2009 (Final) |
| 109.34 | Raymond van Barneveld | 2017 (Semi-Final) |
| 109.23 | Michael van Gerwen | 2016 (2nd Round) |
If Littler hit those kinds of scores at the World Darts Championship, he would smash the record for the highest three-dart average in tournament history.
In a longer format, Littler would perhaps struggle to replicate such high scores, but it will certainly worry other players on the tour, particularly Ryan Meikle and Fallon Sherrock who could face The Nuke in round two.
Luke Littler reflects on ‘crazy’ 2024
As Littler prepares to go one better at Alexandra Palace and capture his first-ever World Darts Championship, The Nuke has reflected on his first year on the PDC Tour.
Littler has captured some of the biggest tournaments on offer in 2024, including the Premier League and the Grand Slam of Darts.
Taking to X just hours before the tournament kicks off, Littler said: “This time last year I was getting ready to play my first World Darts Championship match.
“Since then, my life has completely changed and the last 12 months have been crazy.”
Littler’s World Darts Championship campaign begins on Saturday, December 21 in the evening session against either Sherrock or Meikle.