Luke Littler was in scintillating form as he won the World Series of Darts Finals, and the teenager’s 180 hitting is causing Peter Manley to feel a little uneasy
Peter Manley admits he had a “horrible feeling” while watching Luke Littler win the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
Littler won a whopping eighth title in his debut season, defeating Michael Smith 11-4 with an impressive performance – that included six 180s across the match. On his way to victory, Littler took down Ross Smith, Raymond van Barneveld, Chris Dobey, and Michael van Gerwen, racking up an impressive 34 180s across five matches.
Manley shared his astonishment at Littler’s darts journey, telling social media that he believes Littler has hit more 180s this year than the 62-year-old has in his entire career.
Writing on X, Manley said: “I’ve got a horrible feeling that since January 2024, Luke Littler has hit more 180’s than I had in my career. #scarey.”
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) stats reveal that before this tournament, Littler had already notched up 513 180s in 2024 – placing him 18th for the most 180s in a single calendar year.
The record is currently held by Michael Smith with 714 in 2022, followed by Peter Wright (679) and Luke Humphries (634).
Littler is also the fastest player ever to pass the 500 mark for 180s in a season, now boasting a total of 547 after his latest triumph. This puts him just shy of Scottish darts icon Gary Anderson’s 576, with several more tournaments yet to play this year
Littler has a jam-packed calendar ahead, with major events like the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals and the World Championship offering him plenty of shots to break more records. Having already wowed the crowds by lifting the World Series of Darts trophy, Littler is gunning for more of Smith’s achievements.
Speaking after the win, Littler 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 every 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.”
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