In the heart-pounding arena of Leicester’s Mattioli Arena, where the electric hum of anticipation mingled with the satisfying thud of darts embedding into the board, 18-year-old prodigy Luke Littler delivered a masterclass that solidified his status as darts’ unstoppable force. On a brisk October evening in 2025, “The Nuke” dismantled reigning world number one Luke Humphries with a commanding 6-1 victory to snatch the BoyleSports World Grand Prix crown—his seventh major PDC title in a whirlwind career that’s barely two years old. But beyond the silverware and the £120,000 payday, the triumph rippled far beyond the oche, catching the eye of Premier League flair merchant James Maddison, who fired off a succinct two-word Instagram message that captured the mutual admiration between the darts teen and the Tottenham talisman: “Well done.”
Littler’s path to this double-in, double-out gauntlet was a saga of redemption and raw talent. The World Grand Prix, notorious for its grueling requirement that every leg begins and ends on a double, has humbled many a giant—it’s the tournament where even legends falter under the pressure of precision. Littler knew this all too well; his debut last year ended in a heartbreaking first-round exit. This time, though, he arrived laser-focused, a far cry from the wide-eyed rookie. His opening salvo was a ruthless 2-0 whitewash of Dutch prodigy Gian van Veen, a nod to their shared youth circuit skirmishes. Momentum built with a hard-fought 3-2 grind against Belgium’s Mike De Decker, where Littler’s unflappable nerve turned potential pitfalls into triumphs.
The plot thickened in the quarter-finals, a razor-edge 3-2 epic against the combustible Gerwyn Price, whose roars from the crowd only fueled Littler’s fire. Then came the semi-final statement: a 5-1 evisceration of 2021 champion Jonny Clayton, a Welsh wizard who’d conquered this very event before. Littler dismantled him with surgical checkouts, including a blistering 140 that snuffed out any flicker of resistance. “I’m glad to get through to the final,” Littler reflected post-match. “The 140 felt like a 170 but as soon as that double 10 landed, it killed Jonny off. I’m just very happy to get through to the final.” In one fell swoop, he’d toppled three or four former winners in a row—a sequence that whispered of dynasty in the making.
The final against Humphries was billed as a blockbuster, pitting the top two in the world rankings against each other in yet another high-stakes showdown. Humphries, the cool-headed defender of the crown, had clawed his way through Danny Noppert with the same methodical brilliance that earned him three straight Grand Prix finals. Two years earlier, he’d hoisted this trophy as his breakout moment; Littler, then, was still chasing his tour card. Fast-forward, and the script had flipped. The match teased drama from the outset. Littler stormed the first set after a nervy 13-dart opener, breaking back with a silky 66 finish to edge a decider. Set two was a clinic: Humphries’ missed doubles became Littler’s feast, capped by a 64 checkout off a scorching 177 visit.
The third set delivered a heart-stopping near-miss—a sequence of eight perfect darts that tantalizingly brushed the edge of a nine-darter, the fourth such tease in tournament history. The crowd held its breath, but Littler exhaled with a 104 outshot, leaving Humphries adrift. Humphries mounted a valiant fightback in the fifth, unleashing a monstrous 154 checkout and a 12-dart break to snag his solitary set. For a moment, the arena crackled with possibility. Yet Littler, channeling the steel forged in past defeats, retaliated with an 11-dart leg in the sixth and a composed 14-dart hold in the seventh. His 92.15 average may have trailed Humphries’ loftier 93.61, but it was Littler’s checkout conversion—five of six sets sealed in final-leg deciders—that proved decisive. “That’s what I’ve learned from the past in the Matchplay,” Littler said afterward. “I’ve got to perform the big out shots, the big scores when Luke does put me under pressure. Luke was always behind me, I couldn’t step off the gas. I’m just very happy to win.”
As confetti rained down and the trophy gleamed in his grasp, Littler’s grin lit up the room—a blend of teenage glee and veteran’s poise. “Very happy to tick it off, it’s not the easiest tournament to win,” he told Sky Sports. “This week has been so tough. Now I’ve picked the trophy up, this is one I can tick off and there’s not many left.” The win slashed his Order of Merit gap to Humphries to a tantalizing £70,000, with the world No. 1 spot now in tantalizing reach. “It’s definitely not a lot of prize money, especially what we guys play for,” Littler mused. “Luke will know I’m behind his back now, I’m onto him.” Humphries, ever the sportsman, offered a wry smile in defeat: “He was so clinical in the first four sets. When I was 4-0 down, I just wanted to give the crowd something… It’s hard to take.” Their rivalry, a tapestry of major finals—Humphries’ 7-4 World Championship edge last year, Littler’s 11-7 Premier League payback—burns brighter than ever.
Word of the victory spread like wildfire, igniting cheers from across the sporting spectrum. Premier League stars, long enamored with darts’ blend of skill and showmanship, tuned in with rapt attention. None more so than Tottenham’s James Maddison, the silky midfielder whose signature goal celebration—a playful dart-throwing mime—has become a fixture of his flair-filled performances. Maddison, a self-confessed darts aficionado, has shared a bromance with Littler since the teen’s explosive World Championship run last year. Back in December 2023, with Littler fresh off a quarter-final stunner at Ally Pally, Maddison extended VIP invites, hosting the then-16-year-old in his plush Tottenham Hotspur Stadium box for a 3-1 thrashing of Bournemouth. The pair bonded over the oche, with Maddison even channeling his inner “Nuke” during training sessions.
Their connection deepened amid the banter of club loyalties—Littler bleeds Manchester United red, while Maddison pulls on Spurs’ lilywhite. Yet football’s tribal lines blur in the face of shared passion. When Tottenham toppled United 3-0 at Old Trafford in September 2024, Spurs’ social media cheekily trolled Littler with a screenshot of him following their account, captioning it: “You finally seen the light @LukeTheNuke180?” Littler fired back with a laugh, and the exchange only cemented their rapport. Earlier that year, after Maddison’s brace in a 5-0 demolition of Southampton—complete with his dart-mimicry celebration—Littler reposted the clip on Instagram, quipping, “Loves it the boy [Maddison].” In February 2025, post a Spurs win over United where Maddison’s dart-celebration goal proved pivotal, the midfielder sent a tongue-in-cheek video apology: “Sorry son,” tagging Littler with a wink to his rival fandom. Littler, ever quick-witted, reposted: “I knew you was thinking about me.”
Now, with Littler’s Grand Prix glory fresh, Maddison wasted no time joining the chorus of congratulations. Hopping on Instagram, the 28-year-old playmaker shared a story highlighting Littler’s triumphant pose with the trophy, overlaying it with his crisp two-word salute: “Well done.” It was a nod not just to the win, but to the kid who’s turned darts into global theater—much like Maddison does with his audacious assists and acrobatic finishes on the pitch. Fellow England internationals like Declan Rice and even Manchester United icons Jonny Evans and Gary Neville have lent their voices over the years, but Maddison’s bond feels uniquely electric, a crossover of precision sports where a misplaced dart or errant pass can spell doom.
This victory isn’t just another notch for Littler; it’s a seismic shift. With seven majors under his belt, he ties for seventh all-time, leaving only a handful of elite events unchecked. Fans erupted online, dubbing it “The Nuke’s nuclear takeover,” while pundits marveled at his blend of power and poise. Yet true to form, Littler kept it light, announcing plans to hop a 20-minute drive to Wigan the next day for the World Youth Championship—a cheeky detour for fun amid his senior dominance. “I don’t think anyone is going to be my friend but I’ll try my best,” he chuckled. “I could have had the day off, but why not? Play the World Youth, then two Pro Tours in Wigan and have the weekend off.”
As the Grand Slam of Darts looms in November and the World Championships beckon in December, Littler’s orbit expands. Humphries vows to “dedicate everything to being a dart player and work even harder,” while the teenager eyes that No. 1 crown. From Leicester’s lights to London’s pitches, figures like Maddison remind us: in a world of specialists, the greats lift each other. For Littler, another double landed true—and the board’s just getting warmer.
Leave a Reply