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Chatting Bull with Dan Dawson - Issue #015

Chatting Bull with Dan Dawson
January 10, 2025

Chatting Bull with Dan Dawson - Issue #015

Chatting Bull with Dan DawsonChatting Bull with Dan Dawson

 

What do you say? What can you add to the terabytes of data about the sporting phenomenon that is Luke Littler that has not already been said? It’s all been done. The excellence, the freakish double-ten hitting, the unnaturally level-headed nature for one so young; even the endless warnings about expecting too much of him, or not thrusting him into the limelight - all of it has been covered already.

It was clear very quickly that “The Nuke” had all the ingredients for success, but what he has achieved in a single year is astonishing. He appears to be the most gifted talent of his generation, and now the speculation is about where he will end up in comparison to all the other greats of the generations before.

 

The parallels are obvious: Bristow was beaten by Taylor and thus passed on the baton to “the Power”. Taylor then reluctantly handed over the torch to Michael van Gerwen, and on January 3rd 2025, it was MvG’s time to be beaten by the next big thing… in a World Championship final, no less. The scary thing is, going on what we have seen from him already, Littler’s world title victory was achieved without playing his best stuff.

 

The soon-to-be 18 year old is likely to have better campaigns at Alexandra Palace. Not that that guarantees success, of course. van Gerwen himself has three world titles - arguably a poor return for a player of his quality.

 

Luke Littler 2024 Grand Slam Champion! Luke Littler 2024 Grand Slam Champion!

Image by Kieran Cleeves/PDC

 

That is the thing with sport: you do not get what you deserve, you only get what you win. Nobody is going to give MvG some extra world titles in a vote of sympathy, or to acknowledge his greatness in the sport. He has to go and win more, and if he is to add to his tally, he must do so with the likes of Littler and Luke Humphries fighting to stop him.

 

When you are on top, you have to make it count; when you are the best, you have to win - because how long you spend at the top is never certain. What is certain right now though is that Luke Littler is at the very top of darts, vying with Humphries for being the best player in the world, and now is the time to make it count.

 

Michael Smith won the Sid Waddell Trophy and (in his own words) “took a year off”. He now finds himself outside the top 16 in the rankings. I doubt there will be a similar slacking-off from Littler, or at least I hope not. “The Nuke” must strike while the iron is hot, and right now he is the hottest property on the planet.

 

It may be that the days of darts being dominated by just one name are over, but even without winning everything, Littler could still win more than anyone else - and he could establish a legacy before he even reaches 20 years of age.

 

Now that would be something new.


Issue #015 Quiz Answers

1) Kevin Doets 3-2 Michael Smith
2) Sid Waddell Trophy
3) Ryan Joyce & Stephen Bunting. This is the list of players Luke Littler beat on his way to 'The Nukes' inagural 2025 World Champs

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