Luke Littler admits he still has a considerable journey ahead before he can lay claim to the title of the "greatest ever" in darts, yet he remains driven to tick off milestones from his personal checklist, beginning with a consecutive triumph at the World Matchplay in Blackpool. His recent performance nudged him a step nearer to that ambition, as he secured a place in the quarter‑finals by edging out Nathan Aspinall with a dramatic 11‑8 win, setting up a clash with Josh Rock.
The match was nothing short of spectacular for the 24‑year‑old English prodigy. Littler opened the contest with a flawless nine‑dart finish in the very first leg, a feat that instantly electrified the arena.
He came agonisingly close to replicating that perfection in the fourth leg, missing only the double 15 to complete a second nine‑dart leg – a rarity that, until now, has been achieved on television only by the legendary Phil Taylor. Beyond the historic finishes, Littler amassed an astonishing 14 maximums (180s) during the encounter, and his three‑dart average of 113.68 ranks as the second‑highest ever recorded at the World Matchplay, trailing only Taylor’s 114.99 performance in 2010. Littler’s quest is to become the first player since Michael van Gerwen in 2017 to retain the Matchplay crown in Blackpool.
The current world number one already holds the World Darts Championship, the UK Open, the Premier League and the Masters, and he is also defending titles at the Grand Slam, the Grand Prix and the Players Championship Finals. With a clean sweep still firmly in his sights, Littler now turns his attention to defending his seaside title. The question on everyone’s mind is just how close he really is to being the "greatest ever". "Obviously that talk’s been going on since I first burst onto the scene – ‘Will he be the next Phil Taylor?’" Littler reflected.
"I’ve always said that unless I win 16 World Championships – or whatever the total ends up being – I won’t be able to call myself the greatest. "Will I still be around in 16 years? Who knows? If I could win 16 back‑to‑back World Championships, that would be the end of it for me." In his epic battle with Aspinall, Littler fell just one double 15 short of achieving two nine‑dart legs in a single match, a milestone that only Taylor has ever managed on television.
The opening nine‑dart finish was a sensational moment, but Littler hinted that his practice sessions may have given him a premonition that such a perfect leg could be on the horizon. "I just want to produce my best stats every game I play and I think I have done it again tonight," he said after the match. "At one point I think I was the highest average of the night, and Phil had 114, so I know that record is there to be broken.
"Everyone is asking me how I did it, but I don’t really know. It was the first leg of the game and then to go on and miss the double 15 again – that was really gutting not to hit two in a game.
"I was practising at home today and I did a first‑to‑11 against the dart bot. I actually missed the double 15 and then my sister’s boyfriend went, ‘oh, you’re c**p, you’.
"I was saving it till later. And I hit it." Although losing such a thrilling and tightly contested match can be hard to swallow, Aspinall chose to view the defeat as a source of motivation. He described the encounter as the best he has ever experienced and said it would reignite his hunger for future success.
In a post‑match statement on social media, Aspinall wrote: "The most enjoyable game of darts I have played in my career. "Had absolutely everything and I gave it my all. "Fair play to Luke Littler, you were simply unreal.
Six treble‑less visits in 19 legs is the stat that jumps out to me. Wow. "That has certainly given me the hunger back. Support was unreal as per." The second round of the World Matchplay continues on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports, with four more marquee matchups scheduled.
Cameron Menzies will look to build on his impressive win over world No. 2 Luke Humphries when he faces Ross Smith. Gerwyn Price is set to take on fellow former world champion Rob Cross. World No.
3 Gian van Veen will meet in‑form Dutchman Wessel Nijman, while James Wade will battle Ryan Searle. Who will ultimately claim this year’s World Matchplay title? Luke Littler will be defending his crown, and fans can catch every throw on Sky Sports or stream the action through NOW, which offers darts coverage without a long‑term contract.