Sun. Jul 27th, 2025
Littler Nails Nine-Darter, Secures Final Berth Against Wade

Luke Littler offered a subdued reaction after achieving a nine-dart finish against Josh Rock.

Luke Littler delivered a stunning nine-darter en route to a 17-14 victory over Josh Rock, securing a World Matchplay final showdown against James Wade on Sunday.

The 18-year-old, already a world champion, was trailing 6-1 before executing the perfect leg, denying Rock – who had already scored two 180s – the opportunity to achieve the same feat.

Featuring 15 flawless darts, the leg could be considered among the greatest in the tournament’s history.

“It definitely sparked me into life. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it because I was playing awfully,” Littler commented.

Wade, 42, also from England, reached his seventh Matchplay final after an epic 20-18 win against Wales’ Jonny Clayton on a captivating night at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.

On Sunday, the teenager aims to become only the fifth player to complete the Triple Crown, joining the ranks of Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, and Luke Humphries.

Littler is seeking to accomplish the treble in just over a year, with Matchplay glory in his sights after claiming the Premier League title in May 2024, following his World Championship victory in January.

“I’ve won many finals and majors, but this is the big one now, it all comes down to Sunday,” he stated.

The final will be a rematch of the UK Open final from March, where Littler prevailed 11-2.

That outcome seemed unlikely as Rock, 24, a World Cup champion with Northern Ireland, started strongly, establishing a 5-0 lead in the opening session.

However, Littler’s brilliant nine-darter then materialized, reminiscent of one of darts’ greatest legs when Michael Smith achieved the same in the 2023 World Championship final after Van Gerwen narrowly missed his ninth dart.

“That is the second-best leg you will ever see in your life,” commented Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle.

Despite Littler’s understated reaction, the nine-darter spurred him to an improved performance, and after trailing 8-4, he secured seven of the subsequent eight legs to take an 11-9 lead.

Rock responded with consecutive checkouts of 170 and 120 to narrow the gap to 14-12, but Littler ultimately prevailed in a match where he averaged 107.5 to his opponent’s 104.15 and edged the 180 count 15-14. The total of 29 maximums set a new Matchplay record.

Earlier, Wade was one leg away from victory at 16-10 before Clayton mounted a comeback, winning six consecutive legs to force the match into overtime.

“I’m just done, I’m exhausted. I hope the crowd here and everyone at home enjoyed themselves, because I hated every minute of it,” Wade said.

Recap: All the updates as Littler hits nine-darter & Wade wins epic

How does the World Matchplay Darts work?

Wade recovered his composure after losing six consecutive legs to clinch victory

Wade has reached the final six times previously, with his only victory occurring 18 years ago.

There was little indication of the thrilling match to come as he began his semi-final strongly, taking out the bull for a 161 checkout to establish a 3-1 lead.

Clayton mirrored the move in the 12th leg, but it only served to reduce his deficit to 8-4.

Arguably the best player yet to win a world championship, Wade remained in control until he was one leg away from victory, then dramatically lost the next six as Clayton leveled the score at 16-16.

Wade could have been forgiven for faltering under Clayton’s momentum, but he secured another 161 to regain the lead, and although his opponent equalized at 17-17 and 18-18, he ultimately clinched a memorable victory as sudden death loomed.

The Englishman narrowly edged the averages 101.79 to 100.97, with a 55.6% checkout success rate.

James Wade 20-18 Jonny Clayton

Luke Littler 17-14 Josh Rock

Women’s World Matchplay (13:00 BST)

Quarter-finals (best of seven legs)

Beau Greaves v Kirsi Viinikainen

Lisa Ashton v Robyn Byrne

Noa-Lynn van Leuven v Lorraine Winstanley

Fallon Sherrock v Gemma Hayter

Semi-finals (best of nine legs)

Greaves or Viinikainen v Ashton or Byrne

Van Leuven or Winstanley v Sherrock or Hayter

Final (best of 11 legs, 16:00)

Men’s Matchplay final (20:15, best of 35 legs)

James Wade v Luke Littler

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