Darts star Luke Littler reveals his dad’s inspiring role in his £100,000 World Championship run after he stormed into Ally Pally semi-finals
- Littler's fairytale Ally Pally run continued as he defeated Brendan Dolan 5-1
- The 16-year-old has earned £100,000 in prize money with Rob Cross next
- After the match, Littler revealed the story of how his father bought his first dartboard
Luke Littler has revealed how he threw his first darts while still in diapers.
The 16-year-old has caused a sensation at the World Cup by battling his way to the semi-finals, with Brendan Dolan 'The Nuke's' latest victim.
As the buzz around the teenager continued to build, a video was found on YouTube showing the child prodigy, who was just 18 months old, enjoying his magnetic dartboard at home.
Littler, who wears a blue baseball cap and has a very decent action for a one-year-old, laughs with joy as he hits the target.
Snap's song I've got the power plays in the background in tribute to darts legend Phil 'The Power' Taylor.
Darts sensation Luke Littler has told the story of how his father Anthony bought his first board
Littler was 18 months old and still in diapers when he asked for the magnetic board in a store
His family (photo: father Anthony and mother Lisa) cheered him on every round
Littler defeated Brendan Dolan 5-1 on Monday to progress to the semi-finals of the Ally Pally
After Dolan's 5-1 defeat on Monday, Littler explained how his father Anthony, a keen darts player himself, put him on course to stardom with the impromptu purchase.
“It was just my dad, he always played around the house, he never played in a pub league,” he explained.
“I just looked up to him. When we went to a store, I just pointed out the magnetic dartboard because they looked similar [to his dad’s dart board] – and the rest is history.'
Littler has now reached the last four on his World Cup debut and pocketed at least £100,000 in prize money as he prepares to face 2018 champion Rob Cross on Tuesday evening.
After Littler defeated five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld in the last 16, his father told Sky Sports: 'I can't believe it. He just defeated a legend. I don't know what to say.
'He watched Barney when he was three and he just beat him – it's crazy!
“On his day, he could do it [win the tournament]. He has as good a chance as anyone.”
The Prince of the Palace received his first real dartboard at the age of four
The youngster celebrates hitting the bullseye as a young child in a snap posted by mother Lisa
Littler's mother shared a photo of him after he hit the bullseye for the first time at a young age
Littler also posted a throwback video of himself imitating Raymond van Barneveld at the age of three
Littler has beaten Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Van Barneveld and Dolan during his fairytale Ally Pally run.
Before Van Barneveld's game, Littler shared a video of himself as a child imitating the Dutch pitcher, who is 40 years older than him. He raises his arms in celebration after hitting the mark on a real dartboard.
Littler received his first dartboard at the age of four and is now considered the second favorite to lift the trophy, behind Luke Humphries, after Michael van Gerwen crashed out on Monday.
“On my debut I'm in the semi-finals – I'm happy I got there,” said an ecstatic Littler. 'I deserved it, my performances were good.
'I have a good chance now. Now I'm dreaming, I'm two games away. So I'm definitely thinking about winning the title.'
Teen sensation Luke Littler (above) secured a place in the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship on Monday afternoon by beating Brendan Dolan (right)
Littler celebrated with the crowd at Alexandra Palace after booking his place for the next round
The 16-year-old embraced the crowd's atmosphere and even took selfies with fans