Once again, teenager phenom Luke Littler – breaker of records and probably father of dragons – breathed fire on a major TV event stage with a blistering display and yet another perfect leg of darts.
Aside from his ridiculously colossal average, the reigning World Matchplay champion smashed in a 9-darter in the very first leg of the match against good pal Nathan Aspinall.
That only tells some of the story in a contest between the two Target Englishmen which will long live in the Winter Gardens’ golden archives, probably filed under “Are You Serious?”
In what was a much-anticipated battle between the world number one and a player who is one of the best on the planet, it had all the ingredients to be a classic. And it didn’t disappoint.
Within what felt like seconds, Littler hit the nine, resulting in enough beer being thrown into the air to generate a bar queue longer than the odds of an aardvark ever lifting the Phil Taylor Trophy.
After that, the match turned into a 180-fest, with each tungsten aficionado taking it in turns to attack the treble twenty like it had personally insulted them. By the end, the small red lipstick was crying out for mercy.
It’s a testament to just how good Nathan Aspinall is that he was only trailing 6-4 after the second interval. If Olympic medals were awarded not just for brilliance, but for grittiness and determination too, then The Asp’s collection would make Usain Bolt look like he’d better get his arse in gear.
Amazingly, the Mancunian, one of the two Winter Gardens winners on stage, got it back to 7-7. This was shortly after Nathan jokingly offered his darts to members of the crowd, suggesting they try to beat this stupendously talented kid.
Even with The Nuke at match point, Aspinall reeled in a Big Fish to prolong the contest. At this point, the bars were running out of plastic cups. However, a couple of minutes later, Littler got the job done, registering just a mere 113.68 average. To put that into context, only the great Phil Taylor had averaged more on that stage – and he was so good, they named the trophy after him.
Prior to that absolute belter, the Blackpool faithful had just witnessed three-time champion Michael van Gerwen exit at the hands of compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode.
It’s not just growing aubergines that DVD is good at – give him a set of darts and he’s pretty damn effective with those bad boys. Yes, this isn’t the vintage MVG we saw in his pomp, but make no mistake, he’s still amongst the best on this revolving rock. It’s just not quite the devastating Dutch version.
At the second interval, Dirk held a slender 6-4 lead over his compatriot. From that point, it was pretty much neck and neck between two of the clog-wearing nation’s finest. Eventually, with the scores tied at 12-12 and well into extra time, Van Duijvenbode – who had been so close to the line a few minutes earlier – stole a break before holding throw for a massive win.
Try telling The Titan that beating Michael van Gerwen in a major event isn’t a big deal. By the way he celebrated, you’d guess it’s hardcore Dutch techno music that gets his juices flowing. Personally, I’d rather listen to a symphony created by a few chainsaws. But Dirk definitely pumped up the volume on the night.
Kicking off Tuesday evening was what I affectionately dubbed “The Zimmerframe Derby” – two legends in Gary Anderson and Jonny Clayton, locked in a no-nonsense, fast-paced rat-a-tat-tat of a game.
Whilst both men are more than capable of shooting miles above the ton-average mark, this was nonetheless a high-quality, exhilarating encounter worthy of the big billing it received.
The Ferret fired out of the blocks like a small rodent shoved unwillingly into a circus cannon to lead 3-0. From that point on, the Flying Scotsman got a grip and it began to look like the tungsten tussle we expected.
However, once Ando got his nose in front at 5-4, things went a bit Scot-sided and the angling-loving man pushed on, managing to hold his Welsh opponent at arm’s length long enough to reach the line.
Rounding off the night’s action were two close pals in Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting, who were both heads on one another’s shoulders throughout a turbulent Premier League campaign.
Given they were due on stage immediately after the Littler versus Aspinall belter, it probably felt like being called up for karaoke after Whitney Houston had just finished singing. A kind of “top that” level of expectation floated around the Winter Gardens arena.
In truth, it was always going to be a tough ask. Yet Bunting will leave Blackpool with massive disappointment – not just because of the loss, but because he is a million times the player his below-par performance painted.
Rocky wasn’t his dynamic self either. In truth, though, he didn’t need to be. With The Bullet, for some reason, not managing to fire – ending with an average a tad below 83 – the Northern Irishman really needed to capitalise on this rarity. And capitalise he did, with what could generously be described as a professional job to see off his mate.
Speaking to Polly James on stage after the match, you could see Rock’s emotions. It’s tough to play someone you genuinely care about. And if both had hit top gear and the former World Cup winner had come through in a classic, it probably wouldn’t have hurt so much.
Yet that’s darts. One day you’re the world-beater you know you are. The next, you’re giving hope to every aspiring pub chucker that maybe they can one day go to Ally Pally and pocket a million quid.
A real pity for Bunting, who didn’t do himself justice. But he’s professional and experienced enough to just chalk it down to a bad day at the office. It happens. Just not when you want it to, unfortunately.
That was a wrap. Fans in attendance and viewers at home got to witness the entire spectrum of emotions professional darts players go through – from euphoria and jubilation to disappointment and heartbreak.
I guess that’s the reason our game is growing at the rate it is. Perhaps not great for the heart rates of family and friends. But no matter what, something special usually happens.
