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LUKE LITTLER admits his biggest buy has been a “nice bag” after bagging his NINTH title of the year with the Players Championship.
The 17-year-old beat Stephen Bunting 8-7 in Wigan, resisting an incredible fightback by the ex-world champ.
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It meant Littler took his winning streak to 12 consecutive matches and earnings to £95,000 in just 72 hours after winning the World Series final on Sunday night in Amsterdam.
‘The Nuke’ went 5-1 up in the final but Bunting fought back to level it at 7-7, only for the wonderkid to hold his nerve in the deciding leg.
Littler had KO’d old foe world champion Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals, reeling off five successive legs.
He also dumped on-form David Chisnall 7-2 to reach the final and then take his third Players Championship win of the year.
Littler has now won £625,000 in prize money this year.
On his biggest extravagance, he revealed: “I’ve bought a nice bag!”
Bunting’s remarkable comeback in the final rocked the teenager, who added: “I had to switch on.
“Near towards the end I was getting bit tired. But I was saying to myself just one last push. Stephen put everything he could on me then.
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“I think I’ve played really well. I came here with loads of confidence.
“It’s probably the first ProTour I’ve actually enjoyed playing, apart from the first one I won.
“I looked at the draw bracket today and seeing who was on my board. I expected a better game from Andrew (Gilding) after he threw a nine-darter earlier. I had a good game against Luke (Humphries).
“I do change my throw on the floor games. It’s totally different to the stage. I just find what is comfortable.
“When I bring up the dart I flick the flight. It’s just how I feel on the floor.”
Only a select few players – Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright – have won 10 tournaments in a year.
Now Littler has a chance to join that elite company.
Inside Littler’s massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.
He added: “It’s just what I do. I definitely didn’t think to myself that I’m going to win the Premier League. I felt really comfortable in Bahrain.
“I can try and win tomorrow and add more to my rankings. I’ll try my best and do what I can and have the weekend off.
“I will pick and choose with my manager and work out if I’m too tired.
“But there’s still plenty more to win at the back end of the year.
“In Amsterdam I couldn’t believe how well I played. Ross [Smith] missed two darts and if he hit them I’d have gone out first round. I went on to win the title.”
