Defending champion Luke Littler delivered a dominant performance and a cheeky verbal jab as he progressed at the PDC World Darts Championship on Saturday night.
Littler cruises as Bunting crashes out
The 18-year-old sensation, Luke Littler, surged into the last 16 at Alexandra Palace with a stunning 4-0 whitewash of Mensur Suljovic. Littler averaged an impressive 107.09 and hit over 70 per cent of his doubles, looking every bit the favourite to retain his title.
In stark contrast, fourth seed Stephen Bunting suffered a shock 4-3 defeat to unseeded James Hurrell. Bunting, who had earlier dubbed himself 'the People's Champion', averaged just 91.43 in a below-par performance, with Hurrell capitalising to secure the biggest win of his career.
'The Bunting effect isn't going too well'
After his own victory, Littler was asked about the so-called 'Luke Littler effect' on the sport's popularity. Seizing the moment, he couldn't resist a playful swipe at his fallen rival. "Obviously the Luke Littler effect is still going strong in this tournament," he said. "I don't think the Bunting effect is going too well this tournament. So yeah, maybe I've got the biggest fanbase." He later added with a smile: "I had to say that, sorry."
This came after Bunting's confident proclamation following his first-round win, where he stated he had the best fanbase and social media in darts, claiming the only thing missing was the World Championship trophy.
Hurrell's confidence soars as Littler eyes improvement
For 41-year-old qualifier James Hurrell, the win was a career highlight. "Amazing, absolutely amazing. Biggest win of my career," he said. Displaying supreme confidence, Hurrell added, "I'm confident, I'm not going anywhere... I should have won 4-0, to be fair." He now prepares to face either Ryan Searle or Martin Schindler in the next round.
Despite his imperious form, Luke Littler admitted there is still one area he wants to strengthen: his mental game. "If I'm honest, mentally on the stage I don't think I'm really that good," the teenager confessed. "I can still lose my head a bit... But I'm still only 18, I can still work on it." He identified missing doubles and opponents celebrating heavily as things that can wind him up.
Luke Littler will next play in the fourth round, scheduled for the evening of Monday, December 29 or across Tuesday, December 30 at Alexandra Palace, where he will meet either Damon Heta or Rob Cross.
