After his 11-8 loss to world No 1 Luke Humphries on Thursday evening, Luke Littler announced he would be taking a ‘break’ from darts after the intense schedule of the Premier League.
Littler, 18, went into the night as the favourite to defend his title, and faced Gerwyn Price in the semi-final in what proved to be a difficult game for the world No 2.
Price, who has enjoyed a fantastic Premier League season in which he boasts the same amount of nightly wins as Luke Humphries before last night, went into the break 6-4 up against Littler.
However, The Nuke would come back firing after the interval, winning six of the remaining seven legs to win 10-7 and send him through to the final.
Luke Littler was visibly ecstatic after his 10-7 victory over Gerwyn Price in the semi-final
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It was a similar story in the final against Humphries, where both players endured a difficult first period and entered the break at 5-5.
However, while both players came out for the second period looking much more like themselves, Humphries enjoyed the better and ultimately ran out as an 11-8 victor.
After the game, Littler showed his champions’ spirit, insisting he does not like to lose despite his spectacular season.
Speaking to Sky Sports, The Nuke said: “No one likes losing but I am fine. I am glad to say it's over, it has been a tough 17 weeks.
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Luke Littler said he was 'glad' the Premier League is over
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“I’m very happy it’s over, I came runner up. I will be back next year.”
Similar to last year, Littler has set the Premier League world alight, breaking the record for 180s thrown in a season, points accrued and nights won.
All of the records broken were his own he had set, or equalled, the previous year.
The Nuke said: “I have set many records and personally I don't think they will be broken.
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“I am going to go next year and try and break my own records next season.”
However, after the gruelling nature of the Premier League schedule, Littler was keen to enjoy a period of relaxation before restarting.
During the Premier League, players are required to play every Thursday for 17 weeks in different locations across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands and Germany.
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It is the first time Luke Humphries has won the Premier League
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“I will have a little break now, but straight onto the World Series soon. I am happy to have a little break now,” the reigning world champion said.
Despite their generational rivalry at the oche, Littler and Humphries are known to have a good friendship off it - Humphries even described Littler as one of his ‘best mates’.
This will extend to the World Cup of Darts in June, where the pair will be representing reigning champions England.
Humphries won the competition with Michael Smith last year.
When discussing the World Cup, The Nuke said: “I can’t wait. [Humphries] won it last year, so he can lead me to victory!”
After the match, Humphries described the Premier League as the “hardest to win”, so Littler’s admission for needing a break is fair.
The pair produced some magical darts across the season, and this is surely only a sign of things to come.
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