DARTS – Teenage sensation Luke Littler continues to make history as he was crowned champion of the 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters, which came to a thrilling close at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir last night.
Just weeks after making it to the final of the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship, 16-year-old Littler secured the coveted crown in Bahrain after defeating three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen 8-5 in an exciting, best-of-15-legs final.
Following his triumph, Littler was presented the glittering championship trophy by BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa and CBX founder and CEO Carlo Boutagy.
It was a sensational ending to the two-day event, which marked the first stop on this year’s World Series of Darts calendar.
“No-one believes me but I hadn’t thrown a dart since the world championships final until yesterday,” Littler told the GDN.
“Michael van Gerwen is the very best and I’m just very happy to win on my debut. It’s been unbelievable this week,” added the 16-year-old.
“That’s how sports works, you win some, you lose some,” runner-up Van Gerwen , aka Mighty Mike, told the GDN.
All eight PDC professionals made a clean sweep of the first round on Thursday to march on to the quarter-finals.
Littler secured his place in the final after defeating World Cup winner Gerwyn Price 7-3 in the last four, while Van Gerwen joined him after taking down defending Bahrain Darts Masters champion and 2023 World Title winner Michael Smith 7-6. The two hotly contested semi-finals were played in best-of-13 legs.
Accompanied in Bahrain by his dad Anthony, Littler had arrived in the Middle East fresh from a week’s family holiday and then tickets to watch Manchester United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
“It’s been crazy,” Littler earlier told the UK Press. “Warrington Wolves invited me down and I went to the United game and met Sir Alex Ferguson.
“To meet him was amazing and he said some lovely things to me about staying dedicated and believing in myself. My life’s changed and my family’s life has changed so much, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’m getting.”
Earlier, in the best-out-of-11 quarter-finals, Littler had a sensational performance in a 6-3 win against World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall, which included a stunning and rare nine-darter for the 16-year-old.
Van Gerwen beat 2018 World Champion Rob Cross 6-4 in the same stage. Smith put in an accomplished performance to beat two-time World Champion Peter Wright 6-1 and reach the final four, while Price stunned recently crowned world champion Luke Humphries 6-4, ending Humphries’s 20-game winning streak.
Right before the finals, Bahraini player Abdulla Saeed who went down 6-0 to Luke Humphries in the qualifiers on Thursday night was presented a trophy for Bahrain Darts Masters Best Placed Bahraini. It was a proud moment for the kingdom.
A high-spirited vibe filled The Dome at BIC as fans cheered their favourite players. The scene was vibrant with members of the audience sporting Wright-inspired mohawks and other colourful costumes. The best of them won valuable prizes provided by BIC.
BIC and CBX teamed up with the Professional Darts Corporation, and in partnership with the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, to bring the World Series of Darts to the kingdom for the second straight year.
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