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Grand Slam Glory For Littler

Grand Slam Glory For Littler

Alex Moss |

A Week In Darts – November 18, 2024 – Record-Breaking Littler Wins The Grand Slam Of Darts

A new name was guaranteed on the Eric Bristow Trophy as this year’s Grand Slam of Darts reached its conclusion at the weekend. Here’s our round-up of how the final day played out in Wolverhampton...

@dartscorner.co.uk 🎯🏆 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐦 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫 - The Weekly Dartscast co-host Alex Moss brings you Darts Corner's recap of all the darts action including the final day of the Grand Slam of Darts and the West Europe Qualifier for the PDC World Darts Championship! #WeGetDarts #darts #dartscommunity #dartsfamily #dartsaddict #standupifyoulovethedarts #pdc #lovethedarts #dartsnews #sportsnews #sports #grandslamofdarts #fyp #lukelittler ♬ original sound Darts Corner

GRAND SLAM GLORY FOR LITTLER

Luke Littler cruised to his first major ranking title with an astonishing 16-3 victory against Martin Lukeman in the Grand Slam of Darts final last night.

The 17-year-old had already picked up the unranked Premier League and World Series of Darts Finals titles amongst his haul of tournament wins so far in 2024.

But the Grand Slam marked his maiden success in a televised ranking event, with the £150,000 top prize, along with the £3,500 bonus for topping his group, helping the teenager rise up to number five on the PDC Order of Merit.

'The Nuke' has earnt more than half a million pounds in ranking events in 2024, with his current earnings on the Order of Merit now standing at £558,500. He has also now banked in excess of £1 million in ranked and non-ranked events in PDC competitions.

“I’m so glad to win this title,” said Littler, who averaged 107 and hit 12 180s in a final that lasted for less than 35 minutes in total playing time.

“I’ve been playing really well all tournament. It’s been a tough week, but the hard work has paid off!

“I knew coming into the tournament, if I did get my hands on the trophy I’d be up to number five in the world.

“There’s still more ranking tournaments to go this year, so hopefully I can go a bit higher than number five!”

For the runner-up Lukeman it brought an end to a memorable week in Wolverhampton, with the 39-year-old having won through the Tour Card Holder Qualifiers to secure a first ever appearance in the Grand Slam.

‘Smash’ topped his own group and went on to record wins over Ross Smith, Rob Cross and Mickey Mansell to reach the first major final of his career.

“Luke is just different gravy,” reflected Lukeman, who has moved up to number 37 in the world following his run to the final. “He is absolutely brilliant.

“He has done great things for the sport and has brought in so many new fans.

“I wish Luke and his family all the best. He’s a great kid, and I couldn’t live with him tonight.”

LITTLER AND ANDERSON’S SEMI-FINAL EPIC

Luke Littler and Gary Anderson served up one of the all-time classic matches in Grand Slam history as their semi-final clash went all the way to a deciding leg on Sunday afternoon.

The two stars met for the first time in PDC competition yesterday, with Littler edging through a 16-15 winner in a captivating encounter at the WV Active Aldersley.

The teenager Littler made the brighter start and led 7-4, before an inspired Anderson produced a seven-leg blitz, which included checkouts of 164, 142 and 102 to seize control at 11-7.

‘The Flying Scotsman’ kept in front as he led 13-9, 14-12 and 15-14, only for Littler to reply with a pair of 14 darters to close out a victory by the narrowest of margins.

Littler averaged 103 and threw a remarkable 16 180s, whilst Anderson posted a 100 average and hit more than 50 per cent of his doubles in one of the best matches ever seen at the Grand Slam.

SWISS BELLMONT MAKES HISTORY

Stefan Bellmont will become the first player from Switzerland to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship, after winning through Saturday’s West Europe Qualifier.

The 35-year-old, who is a two-time title winner on the PDC Challenge Tour, fought back from 5-2 and 6-5 down to beat Jimmy van Schie 7-6 in the final.

The Dutchman van Schie, who recently became the WDF men’s number one, looked on course for an Ally Pally debut of his own with 108, 164 and 136 checkouts helping him to take control of the final.

However, van Schie would crucially miss match darts in leg 12 to close out a 7-5 victory, with Bellmont checking out 56 to break and force a decider.

In a dramatic final leg, a 180 helped van Schie to leave 58 after 12 darts, before Bellmont fired in a 124 checkout to win the qualifier and book his spot at the World Championship next month.

Pictures: PDC

Alex Moss is a content creator for Darts Corner and the co-host of the Weekly Dartscast podcast. Alex co-founded the Weekly Dartscast in 2017 and has helped produce 350+ episodes of the podcast, with their list of previous guests on the show a who’s who in the world of darts.

Alex also writes content for the Darts Corner blog, including the weekly darts news round-ups and how-to guides.

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