3 days Ago By [email protected] (Ben Crawford, Abbie Meehan)
Luke Littler has bagged his fourth TV title of 2024 along with an £80,000 prize at the Finals - and he looked like he had fun while doing so. The 17-year-old top seed was in top form in Amsterdam, adding to his World Series titles from Bahrain and Poland and securing another televised title to go alongside his crown. He squared off against 2023 world champion Michael Smith in the final, after defeating and Chris Dobey earlier in the day.
When Smith, known as the 'Bully Boy', pulled off a stunning 170 checkout at 10-3 down in a race to 11, it seemed like a mere consolation - but it revealed a relaxed, composed and playful side to Littler. He kicked off his journey to the title at AFAS Live with a hard-fought victory over Ross Smith, pulling off a 6-5 win after initially trailing 3-1. Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld was next in line for Littler and was swiftly defeated, as was his quarter-final opponent Dobey.
An 11-4 thrashing of home favourite Van Gerwen set up a showdown with Smith, where the young talent took a commanding lead, reeling off seven straight legs before Smith retaliated by landing a 'Big Fish'. Littler, despite facing the sting of defeat and being on the brink of victory earlier, showed off his cracking sense of humour by mimicking the iconic celebration he once flaunted against James Wade at the UK Open. Smith mimed the same 'reeling-in' celebration following a dazzling 170 checkout, but it was Littler who had the last laugh, securing the next leg, with his favourite double 10, bagging a cool £80k in prize money.
Even with a big prize pot at stake, Littler demonstrated a lot of respect for his opponents and showed that he's stayed humble in success - despite being so young. The teenage whizz has seen his net value soar, with this latest win pushing his winnings above £650,000 in total. His runner-up spot behind Luke Humphries at Alexandra Palace brought in £200,000, with a further £275,000 for conquering the Premier League - a sum hitting £315,000 when you add in his nightly wage.
Yet, even with his bank account swelling and his talent showing no signs of slowing down, Littler is all about building on his sterling triumphs. After the final, the teenager said: "I'm just happy to be stood here with the trophy at the end of a long day. I felt relaxed tonight and I played really well across the whole weekend.
"This time last year I was playing on the Development Tour. My name was getting mentioned but at the World Championship everyone knew who I was. I'm going to keep building on this and winning more.
It's a busy schedule coming up and I'm ready for it.".
