Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler is to make his debut in Australia when he headlines the country’s biggest event in Wollongong in August.
The 17-year-old English phenomenon Littler, who has flourished as the sport’s biggest attraction since becoming the youngest ever world championship finalist at 16 in January, will feature in a star-studded line-up at the Australian Darts Masters on August 9 and 10.
Luke Littler became the youngest-ever world championship finalist earlier this year.Credit: Getty
Littler will be joined in the World Series of Darts event by Luke Humphries, who beat him to the title in the world championship final and is the current world No.1 player. Fast food joints in the Illawarra need not apply, however, with Littler reportedly ditching his favoured diet of pizza, kebabs and ham and cheese omelettes in a bid to protect his career.
The Professional Darts Corporation’s annual visit to Australia and New Zealand will take in the Wollongong event, before moving on to the New Zealand Darts Masters at Hamilton’s GLOBOX Arena the following weekend.
Both events will feature a 16-player field, competing over two days of action, with eight PDC superstars tussling with eight players from Oceania.
It will also be world champ Humphries’ Australian debut following a sensational 12-month spell in which he won the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals titles as well as the big one.
Littler’s preferred diet of fast food earned him as many fans as his prowess with the arrows.Credit: Getty
But Littler, despite losing the world final, has since made an astonishing impact in the pro ranks, having quickly tasted World Series success with victory in January’s Bahrain Darts Masters before making a superb start to the Premier League – featuring the eight best players in the world – which he currently leads.
Rob Cross, beaten by Littler in the world semi-final, is aiming for a double title defence, having won in both Hamilton and Wollongong in 2023.
