Latest news with #Warrington-born
The Sun
10-08-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Teen darts star Littler claims first World Series title of 2025
TEENAGE darts prodigy Luke 'the Nuke' Littler secured his maiden World Series trophy of 2025 with a commanding 8-4 victory over Belgium's Mike De Decker at the Australian Masters. The 18-year-old Englishman delivered a dominant performance in Wollongong on Saturday night, adding another milestone to his meteoric rise in professional darts. Littler's path to glory included decisive wins against local favourite Damon Heta and former world championship semi-finalist Stephen Bunting during the sixth World Series event this season. 'It feels great,' said the world number two, who avenged his loss to Gerwyn Price in last year's Australian final. The Warrington-born star acknowledged his previous struggles on this year's World Series circuit before breaking through in Wollongong. 'Obviously it hadn't gone to plan on the World Series circuit this year, but there's plenty of opportunities to win and I've finally picked up that trophy,' Littler told reporters. Fresh from his triumph, the teenager immediately turned his attention to next weekend's penultimate World Series stop in New Zealand. 'I cannot wait for Auckland now,' added the reigning world champion. Littler first captured global attention during his fairytale run to the 2024 World Darts Championship final as an unseeded 17-year-old qualifier. Though he lost that final to current world number one Luke Humphries, his performances sparked unprecedented interest in darts across Britain. Google's 2024 year-end data revealed Littler had surpassed both Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III as the UK's most searched personality. The teenager cemented his superstar status last January by dethroning three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen to claim the sport's ultimate prize. Saturday's victory marks Littler's third major title since turning professional, following his Bahrain Masters and UK Open successes earlier this year. The darts phenomenon continues rewriting record books as the youngest player to achieve multiple televised tournament wins in the sport's history. Professional Darts Corporation officials confirmed Littler's Wollongong triumph earned him 12 ranking points in the race to December's World Series Finals in Amsterdam. With two World Series events remaining, including next week's New Zealand Darts Masters, Littler remains on course for a potential top seeding at the season-ending championship. The teenage sensation returns to action on Friday when he faces either Haupai Puha or Ben Robb in Auckland's first round. – AFP
Daily Mirror
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Luke Littler's actions spotted during interval at World Matchplay final speak volumes
Luke Littler won the World Matchplay at the first attempt on Sunday night, beating James Wade 18-13 in the final in Blackpool, but one fan spotted his classy act during a break in play Luke Littler appears to have captured a legion of new fans after his World Matchplay triumph on Sunday. The teenage sensation was at the heart of a charm offensive as he was spotted signing autographs for the crowd during a break in play. The 18-year-old elevated his extraordinary career to dizzying new heights in Blackpool, defeating James Wade 18-13, whilst his family and new girlfriend, with whom he went public with recently, cheered him on. Afterwards he paid tribute to icon of the game, Phil Taylor. The Warrington-born star has now entered an exclusive club in the game alongside Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries as only the fifth player to clinch the coveted triple crown, comprising the Matchplay, Premier League and World Championship. Littler's path to glory proved utterly dramatic, with Wade racing into a commanding 5-0 advantage before the teenager reeled off five straight legs to level proceedings. After edging 7-6 ahead, Littler weathered a stern fightback from his opponent before ultimately sealing the silverware with four consecutive legs, reports the Express. Yet it was his heartwarming gesture during the interval that truly endeared him to the audience, as Littler made time for those in attendance despite having no obligation to do so. One poster on X wrote: "Littler signing autographs during the interval is very classy btw, not many players do that." Littler's touching display of humility demonstrates that, regardless of his meteoric rise to stardom, he remains thoroughly grounded. The reaction proved overwhelmingly positive, with one fan posting in response: "Yeah I was surprised at that. Josh Rock didn't even do it after he won!" Littler had stumbled to 5-0 down in his semi-final against Rock on Saturday too. Yet he signed off in style, hitting a sublime nine-dart finish to clinch the match 17-14. By winning the title after a series of stunning comebacks, Littler is now the youngest champion in Matchplay annals. The 'Nuke' is actually six years younger than Wade himself was when he won the accolade in 2007. Speaking after his victory, he told Sky Sports what the achievement means to him. "Phil [Taylor] is my idol – he won here 16 times and now my name will be on this trophy," Littler said. "Since I started on the tour and got my tour card I've always said to myself, 'As long as I win one of every major I'll be happy.' I've only got a few left to tick off and I'll definitely chase the majors I haven't won yet." On winning the competition by mounting yet another breathtaking comeback, he added: "Five-nil down once again, I said, 'I've been here before, what are you doing?' "But I managed to pull it out of the bag and win the next five. I've shown I can come back from 5-0 or 7-3 down. I'm happy I can pull myself out of these scorelines, but I don't want to be 5-0 down again."
Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Fresh career boost for teen darts sensation Luke Littler as his plans for US stardom are revealed
Luke is already a millionaire after bursting onto darts scene aged 16 NUKE TARGETS U.S. Fresh career boost for teen darts sensation Luke Littler as his plans for US stardom are revealed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DARTS champ Luke Littler plans to become a sporting icon in the US, documents reveal. The 18-year-old has applied to have his name and nickname The Nuke trademarked in America. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up He has filed documents with the US Patent and Trademark Office for protection to sell goods such as clothes, sporting goods, luggage, books, and even food and drink. He is already a millionaire after shooting to fame at 16 as runner-up in the 2024 World Darts Championship. He then won the title in January. His latest move will prevent bootleggers from using his moniker and cashing in on his fame. One expert told us: 'It grants the owner exclusive rights.' The Warrington-born whiz kid already has similar trademark protection in the UK. Luke has been in the States in recent days. He was among the headline attractions at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York last weekend as the world's top players went Stateside for the US Darts Masters. However, his campaign ended at the quarter-final stage by his good friend and stablemate Nathan Aspinall, who triumphed 6-4 against the teenager. Luke Littler launches new McDonald's burger as darts sensation, 18, adds fast food giants to lucrative brand deals
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Fresh career boost for teen darts sensation Luke Littler as his plans for US stardom are revealed
DARTS champ Luke Littler plans to become a sporting icon in the US, documents reveal. The 18-year-old has applied to have his name and nickname The Nuke trademarked in America. He has filed documents with the US Patent and Trademark Office for protection to sell goods such as clothes, sporting goods, luggage, books, and even food and drink. He is already a millionaire after shooting to fame at 16 as runner-up in the 2024 World Darts Championship. He then won the title in January. His latest move will prevent bootleggers from using his moniker and cashing in on his fame. READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER One expert told us: 'It grants the owner exclusive rights.' The Warrington-born whiz kid already has similar trademark protection in the UK. Luke has been in the States in recent days. He was among the headline attractions at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York last weekend as the world's top players went Stateside for the US Darts Masters. Most read in Darts However, his campaign ended at the quarter-final stage by his good friend and stablemate Luke Littler launches new McDonald's burger as darts sensation, 18, adds fast food giants to lucrative brand deals 1 Luke Littler plans to become a sporting icon in the US Credit: getty
The Herald Scotland
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Bayer Leverkusen sign Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah in £35million deal
Liverpool are also understood to have inserted a buy-back option into the deal for their academy graduate, who joined the club as a five-year-old. Jarell Quansah has completed a transfer from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen. Everybody at LFC would like to thank Jarell for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future 🙌 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 2, 2025 A statement on the Reds' official website read: 'Jarell Quansah has completed a transfer from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen. 'Everybody at LFC would like to thank Jarell for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future.' The Warrington-born England Under-21 international, who made his debut in 2023 and went on to make 58 appearances, leaves Anfield as a Premier League champion and Carabao Cup winner. Leverkusen welcomed Quansah with a message on their official X account which read: 'Liv to Lev. Welcome to Bayer 04, Jarell Quansah!' 🤳 First Werkself words from Jarell Quansah! ⚫🔴#Quansah2030 — Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) July 2, 2025 The defender, a European Under-21 Championship winner with England, revealed he is relishing the challenge of being part of the club's rebuilding process under former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. Quansah, who was used as a late substitute in Liverpool's 4-0 Champions League victory over the Germans last season, told the club's official website: 'I was able to get a good impression of the team and the club when Liverpool played Leverkusen in the Champions League last season. A brilliant team – for the first hour, they played like almost no other side at Anfield. 'The ambitious targets here were clearly explained to me during the negotiations. It's a great role and challenge for me to be part of the current Leverkusen rebuild.'
