In the heart-pounding cauldron of Leicester’s Mattioli Arena, where the air crackled with the scent of polished wood and the roar of 3,000 passionate fans, the 2025 World Grand Prix quarter-finals exploded into life on October 10. This wasn’t just any darts showdown; it was a blockbuster collision between the reigning world champion, 18-year-old sensation Luke Littler – the “Nuke” from Warrington whose meteoric rise has redefined the sport – and the battle-scarred Welsh firebrand Gerwyn Price, the 2021 world champion and self-styled “Iceman” whose roars and mind games have terrorized opponents for years. The double-in, double-out format of this £500,000 spectacle amplified every dart’s drama, turning routine legs into high-wire acts. But amid the tension, the triumphs, and the near-misses, one storyline stole the spotlight off the oche: the infectious joy radiating from Littler’s girlfriend, Faith Kelly, whose elation at his epic comeback victory became the emotional heartbeat of a night etched in darts lore.
Littler arrived in Leicester as the man to beat, fresh off a dominant 3-0 demolition of Belgium’s Mike De Decker in the second round, where he averaged over 100 and fired in a show-stopping 170 finish. Price, no stranger to glory after his 2020 Grand Prix crown, had steamrolled Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock 3-0 earlier that week, pinning a blistering 138 checkout and a rapid 10-darter to signal his intent. Their head-to-head history favored the veteran – Price had won all six prior clashes, including a straight-sets thrashing at the Premier League in May. Yet, as the pair strode to the stage under blinding spotlights, the partisan English crowd – a sea of green and white – sensed an upset brewing. Littler, with his boyish grin and unflappable demeanor, thrived in the chaos; Price, ever the pantomime villain, fed off the jeers, his thunderous “come on!” echoing like a battle cry.
The match ignited like a powder keg. Price burst from the gates, his arrows finding doubles with surgical precision to claim the first set 3-1, then whitewashed the second 3-0. Littler’s early struggles were painfully evident: a nagging sore throat sapped his rhythm, and his darts clung to the wires of the starting doubles, leaving him adrift. The Welshman capitalized ruthlessly, his psychological edge sharpening with every missed opportunity. “He silenced the crowd early,” one observer noted, as Price’s average climbed above 105, his celebrations a deliberate poke at the baying faithful. But darts, that capricious game of inches and instinct, has a knack for scripting Hollywood endings. Trailing 2-0 in sets, Littler huddled with his camp, the weight of expectation pressing down. “I just said that it’s now or never – you have to switch on, find those trebles and not stay on the wire for the entire match,” he revealed later, his voice hoarse but his eyes blazing with resolve.
What unfolded next was pure pandemonium – a see-saw of brilliance and heartbreak that had the arena on its feet. Littler flipped the script in the third set, storming to a 3-0 rout with a blistering 124 checkout, his trebles raining down like confetti. The fourth set tightened into a knot: Price, sensing the kill, stood on six match darts at double 16 – the very checkout that had betrayed him before – but the wires repelled him again, three darts glancing harmlessly away. Littler pounced with a clinical 154 finish, leveling at 2-2 and igniting the crowd into a frenzy. The decider leg became legend: both warriors labored on starting doubles – Price needing eight darts, Littler six – before the Welshman unleashed a stunning 156 (two treble 20s and a double 18) to leave 110. But Littler, throw second and under siege, conjured magic from thin air. With Price lurking on a potential two-darter, the teenager unleashed a jaw-dropping 152: treble 18, treble 20, double 16. The arena erupted in delirium, the noise a wall of sound that shook the foundations. Price, gracious in defeat, applauded from the shadows before the pair shared a warm embrace and a shared laugh – a nod to the mutual respect that binds darts’ elite.
For Littler, the victory was more than progression; it was vindication. At 18, he’s already a global icon, his 2025 World Championship triumph at Ally Pally propelling him to the top of the tree. This comeback – his first deep run in the Grand Prix’s unforgiving format – netted him £10,000 for reaching the semis, with £25,000 more on the line against Jonny Clayton on Saturday. Clayton, Price’s World Cup partner and 2021 Grand Prix winner, had earlier dismantled Holland’s Dirk van Duijvenbode 3-0, reeling off nine straight legs after dropping the opener. The other semi pits world No. 1 Luke Humphries – who edged Cameron Menzies 3-1 – against Danny Noppert, the Dutch qualifier who outlasted Scotland’s Gary Anderson 3-1. Humphries, eyeing a third straight final, praised the night’s drama: “That was one of the best matches I’ve seen – pure entertainment.” The semis, best-of-nine sets from 8pm, promise more fireworks in a tournament that’s already delivered nine-darters and nine-dart legs.
But beyond the board, the human element shone brightest. As Littler’s final dart kissed the double 16 bed, cameras panned to the crowd, capturing Faith Kelly – his girlfriend of over a year – leaping from her seat in unbridled ecstasy. The 20-year-old from the Isle of Man, a former beauty pageant contestant turned supportive partner, has been a constant in Littler’s whirlwind life, from Premier League nights to championship glory. Her overjoyed reaction, arms flung wide and a beaming smile that lit up the arena, went viral in seconds, fans dubbing it “Faith’s hope realized.” Kelly, who shares glimpses of their low-key life on social media – cozy date nights, training sessions, and cheeky jabs at his opponents – embodies the grounded normalcy amid Littler’s fame. “She’s my rock,” Littler has said of her, crediting her calm presence for steadying his nerves. In a sport where pressure can crush, Kelly’s visible delight – tears of joy streaming as she cheered his 152 – humanized the triumph, reminding viewers that behind every champion is a cheer squad of one. Her elation wasn’t just personal; it rippled through the crowd, amplifying the electric atmosphere and underscoring why darts captivates: it’s raw, relatable, and rooted in real emotion.
Price, meanwhile, licked his wounds with characteristic candor. Skipping the press room, he vented on Instagram: “Wow gutted! And this is why we need to play majors in neutral venues/countries. Luke was great in patches at the right time in the end, but I lost that one again.” It’s a familiar refrain from the 40-year-old, who argues that rotating events – perhaps to Germany, Holland, or Wales – would level the playing field against home-crowd bias. The debate rages online, with fans split between tradition and fairness, but Price’s fire only adds fuel to the sport’s global fire.
As the dust settles on this epic, Littler’s path to a maiden Grand Prix title gleams brighter. With £50,000 for the winner and eyes on a potential Humphries final, the teenager’s journey – buoyed by Faith’s unwavering hope – is a testament to youth’s audacity. In darts, where fortunes pivot on a wire’s kiss, this night proved that comebacks aren’t just won on the oche; they’re celebrated in the stands, one joyful leap at a time. Saturday’s semis can’t come soon enough – the Nuke is locked and loaded, and with Faith in his corner, the sky’s the limit.
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