Teenage sensation Luke Littler, 16, continues his fairytale run at the PDC World Championships with a win over No 20 seed at Ally Pally to reach third round
- Teenager Luke Littler has taken Alexandra Palace by storm this week
- The 16-year-old started with a stunning debut win over Christian Kist
- He followed up with an impressive victory against the current UK Open champion
Too young to celebrate with champagne – or even to wear gambling sponsors' logos on his shirt – 16-year-old Luke 'The Nuke' Littler was looking for a kebab to mark the third round of the World Darts Championship.
The Cheshire teenager has taken this tournament by storm, forcing bookmakers to drop their odds on him to claim the title in his first ever appearance at Alexandra Palace.
He has now gone from a 66-1 outsider to a 10-1 contender after his last win – not that he could legally set foot in a bookmaker himself.
Treated to chants of 'you have school tomorrow', Littler proved his first round victory over former BDO world champion Christian Kist 3-0 was no fluke.
He followed up that dream debut by beating UK Open champion Andrew Gilding 3-1 in the second round on Thursday evening, showing why Phil 'The Power' Taylor is singing his praises.
Teeanger Luke Littler has continued his brilliant debut at the World Darts Championship
The 16-year-old recorded an impressive victory over UK Open champion Andrew Golding
Wayne Mardle has also described him as 'extraordinary', adding that he is 'arguably the most naturally talented player I have ever seen'.
Littler is now guaranteed at least £25,000, although some are beginning to believe he could claim the ultimate £500,000 prize that comes with the Sid Waddell Trophy.
He will next face Matt Campbell, the 34-year-old Canadian, in the third round, where the Ally Pally crowd will be firmly on his side.
“When I was 2-0 up I lost all my energy,” Littler said last night after averaging 92.65 against Gilding with five 180s.
'When Andrew had the setback, I didn't want to go for 2-2. I was already nervous. I don't know how I got it over the line, but I did it.
Littler celebrates his famous victory at the PDC World Championships with a kebab
'I said to my manager before, “I could win with an average of 50, that doesn't bother me”, because I know what Andrew's pace is like. He pinged tops, here, there and everywhere. But he let me in and I took a chance.”
As for how he would celebrate, he said: 'Kebab!'
Littler realizes his star is on the rise and his way to measure his newfound fame is through his own Instagram. At the start of this tournament he had 4,000 followers. Last night he approached 20,000.
“It's incredible that so many people know about me,” the Ally Pally boy wonder added.
'I wanted to come back after Christmas and I will anyway. I overachieved.'