Littler Wins Record Fifth Premier League Night

Teenager Luke Littler created much history by becoming nan first subordinate to triumph 5 nights successful a Premier League play pinch a 6-4 triumph complete Michael van Gerwen successful Birmingham.

The 18-year-old, who is nan youngest world darts champion aft his occurrence successful January, has besides secured his spot successful nan season-ending play-offs astatine O2 Arena connected 29 May.

He won 4 nights successful nan opening 8 weeks but had grounded to scope nan last successful nan past 4 weeks.

No subordinate has won much than 4 nights since nan 16-week convention shape was introduced successful 2022 pinch Jonny Clayton (2022), Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith (2023) and Littler, Luke Humphries and Van Gerwen (2024) each achieving that mark.

Littler said astatine nan commencement of nan evening astir wanting to decorativeness apical of nan convention successful bid to unafraid nan first semi-final astatine nan play-offs, truthful that he would person a break earlier nan final, and is now connected way to execute that.

He needed last-leg shootout wins complete Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall to scope nan last but improved arsenic nan evening went on.

The world number 2 missed 2 darts astatine tops successful nan opening limb and that allowed Van Gerwen to break, earlier he missed double 16 successful limb 2 aft 2 stunning darts astatine bullseye.

Littler kept gait pinch Van Gerwen though and recovered nan break successful limb six, earlier breaking again successful limb 10 to unafraid nan triumph and debar a final-leg decider.

He averaged 102.5 to Van Gerwen's 94.31 and was six from 13 connected nan checkouts.

World number 1 Humphries won 2 of nan opening 4 weeks but has grounded to triumph a nighttime since.

He has mislaid successful nan last connected 4 occasions since but he has besides suffered 5 quarter-final exits and a 6-5 conclusion against Gerwyn Price was nan latest.

It was a scrappy matter astatine times, but 2024 world champion and Premier League runner-up Humphries still averaged 107.46 and had darts to triumph nan first 9 legs.

However, he struggled connected nan checkouts, taking retired conscionable 5 of 15 attempts, and that proved to beryllium nan quality arsenic Humphries mislaid to Price again, having succumbed to nan Welshman successful nan Liverpool final past week.

Bunting is still rooted to nan bottommost of nan array aft losing 6-5 to Littler successful nan quarter-finals.

The Liverpudlian led 4-2 pinch Littler averaging successful nan mid-80s arsenic he utilized immoderate caller equipment.

However nan teen improved arsenic nan lucifer went connected and collapsed backmost successful limb 8 earlier seeing retired nan crippled pinch a last-leg shootout win.

Chris Dobey and Rob Cross' chances of reaching nan play-offs were besides dented pinch nan brace losing 6-3 and 6-4 to Aspinall and Van Gerwen respectively.

Final

Luke Littler 6-4 Michael van Gerwen

Semi-finals

Luke Littler 6-5 Nathan Aspinall

Gerwyn Price 3-6 Michael van Gerwen

Quarter-finals

Luke Littler 6-5 Stephen Bunting

Nathan Aspinall 6-3 Chris Dobey

Luke Humphries 5-6 Gerwyn Price

Rob Cross 4-6 Michael van Gerwen

Premier League Darts is played crossed 16 first weeks successful nan convention shape pinch quarter-finals, semi-finals and a last each night.

Each of nan 8 players is guaranteed to look nan different 7 successful nan quarter-finals successful weeks 1 to 7 and 9-15, pinch week 8 and week 16 fixtures done disconnected nan table. It intends we will get 4th v 5th successful Sheffield connected nan last league-stage night, pinch nan play-off spots perchance connected nan line.

Players gain 2 points per quarter-final win, an further constituent if they triumph their semi-final and 5 for winning nan night.

The apical 4 players aft nan group shape advancement to nan play-off nighttime astatine London's O2 Arena connected 23 May, pinch first facing 4th and 2nd against 3rd successful a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is nan champion of 21 legs, follows.

If players are level connected points aft nan 16 weeks past places are decided by nights won and past matches won.

Thursday, 8 May - Leeds