On a chilly evening in Nottingham, the darts world witnessed yet another chapter in the electrifying rivalry between two of its brightest stars. Gerwyn Price, the Welsh maestro known as “The Iceman,” stood triumphant once again, extending his remarkable winning streak against Luke Littler, the teenage prodigy who has taken the sport by storm. As the Premier League Darts rolled into its sixth night of the 2025 season on March 13, Price clinched a 6-3 victory over the reigning world champion in the final, securing his second nightly win of the campaign. With this latest triumph, he’s now beaten Littler six times in a row, a streak that’s left fans and pundits alike wondering if the 18-year-old phenom has met his match. “I might be in Luke’s head a little bit,” Price mused after the match, a sly grin creeping across his face as he hinted at the psychological edge he’s carved out in this budding rivalry.
Littler, dubbed “The Nuke” for his explosive talent, has been a revelation since storming to the PDC World Championship title in January 2025, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history at just 17. His meteoric rise has seen him dominate opponents with a blend of pinpoint accuracy and unshakable confidence, amassing a legion of fans and a reputation as the sport’s next big thing. Yet, against Price, the script flips. The 40-year-old former world champion, with his theatrical roars and commanding stage presence, seems to have found a way to unsettle the unflappable teenager. Their head-to-head record now stands at 7-4 in Price’s favor across 11 encounters, with the Welshman unbeaten since April 2024. “I just go up and play my own game,” Price said, shrugging off any suggestion of a grand strategy. “It doesn’t matter who I’m playing—I just turn up and play.”
The Nottingham showdown was a microcosm of their dynamic. Littler arrived at the final brimming with momentum, having dispatched heavyweights Luke Humphries and Rob Cross earlier in the night with jaw-dropping checkouts—110 and 164 against Humphries, then a stunning trio of 167, 127, and 164 against Cross. These victories propelled him to the top of the Premier League table with 16 points, overtaking Humphries, who faltered in the quarter-finals. But Price, who had steamrolled Stephen Bunting 6-4 and Michael van Gerwen 6-1 en route to the final, brought a different kind of heat. Littler’s doubles deserted him at critical moments—he missed 10 darts at the double—and Price pounced, racing to a three-leg lead with a spectacular 123 checkout on the bull. “He missed some doubles, I took my chances and won,” Price reflected, acknowledging the scrappy nature of the contest. “It’s probably in his head a little bit, but I’m sure that will change—he’s too good not to beat me eventually.”
Price’s dominance over Littler isn’t just a statistical anomaly; it’s a psychological puzzle that’s captivated the darts community. The Welshman’s larger-than-life persona—complete with fist pumps and crowd-stirring antics—stands in stark contrast to Littler’s cool, almost detached demeanor. Some speculate that Price’s unrelenting energy gets under the teenager’s skin, a theory bolstered by Littler’s visible frustration in past encounters, like when he tossed his dart case in anger after a Dublin defeat. “When you get one, two, three, four, five wins on the bounce, then he probably starts thinking about it more than I do,” Price said, suggesting that the longer his streak continues, the deeper it burrows into Littler’s psyche. Yet, he’s quick to temper his bravado with respect. “Luke Littler is the best player in the world at the minute—and he is going to be for some years,” he admitted, tipping the youngster to surpass Phil Taylor’s record of 16 world titles.
As the Premier League caravan rolls on, the spotlight follows this riveting duel. Night Seven in Cardiff looms on March 20, where Price will bask in the roar of a home crowd, potentially facing Littler again if both advance past their quarter-final matchups against Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall, respectively. For Littler, it’s a chance to halt the slide and reassert his dominance; for Price, it’s an opportunity to tighten his grip on the teenager’s mind. “I’m happy he’s in my pocket for a little while,” Price quipped, “but I’m not sure how long that’ll last.” With Littler’s talent and Price’s tenacity, this rivalry is poised to define darts for years to come—one dart, one mind game, at a time.
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