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LUKE LITTLER showed his class at just 17 years old after beating Raymond van Barneveld in the World Series of Darts on Saturday.
Littler booked his spot in the final eight with a victory over Barney, having previously claimed the Dutchman was his childhood hero.
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The teen sensation seems to still hold that sentiment as he raised Van Barneveld’s hand aloft to elicit an applause from a home crowd in the Netherlands for the experienced pro.
The touching moment came after Littler had won the Amsterdam face-off 6-4.
And it’s an even classier moment when you consider that Van Barneveld had told Littler to “f*** off” in an interview earlier in the year.
The 57-year-old had been left peeved that Littler hadn’t responded to his WhatsApp message after the youngster won the Belgian Darts Open.
Speaking to Sportnieuws.nl, he said: “The other day I walked up to him to shake his hand. Then he took out his earphone for a moment and only said the most necessary thing.
“He told me: ‘Yes, I only respond to text messages. Whatsapp I’m actually not on’.
“Well fine, I sent a text message saying ‘Congratulations with Wieze’, and then nothing. Fine. I’m a bit done with it. The next time I get asked if I want to do something for him, I’ll pass.
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“I understand that you get thousands of text messages but of course I’m not just anyone.
“If I’ve been your inspiration for years, I also expect a text message back. Dude’s on his phone all day, f*** off.”
Littler, who took a casual approach to the clash by stopping for a game of Noughts and Crosses during his walk-out, was full of nothing but respect for Van Barneveld after the win.
Speaking immediately afterwards, he said: “You are up against a Dutch guy in Holland, it’s always massive to beat them.
“I’m just overwhelmed to get over the line. The crowd were very good whenever I tried to go ahead. There’s nothing negative to say about them.
“Raymond kept hitting 180, 140, so it put pressure on my finishing. But I’m just glad to take the shots and get over the line.
“It made me step my game up even more. I think I hit a 105 average.
“As soon as I broke Ray’s throw and got two legs ahead, I just thought hold my throw and I’ll win.
“I just say to myself it’s never over until it’s over. I’ve learnt you’ve just got to keep going and don’t show any emotion of being down, fight to the end.”
Littler has now booked himself a spot in the semi-finals after surviving a major wobble in his quarter-final clash against Chris Dobey.
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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.
