The 17-year-old honed his skills in an amateur darts league in Merseyside
Rachel Frodsham, landlady of The Windle Pub, where Luke Littler played in an amateur darts league(Image: Jamie Greer/Liverpool ECHO)
Luke Littler is the talk of the town in St Helens today as the teenager could make history. The 17-year-old is in the final of PDC World Darts Championships this evening where he will face Michael van Gerwen. If he wins, he would be the youngest-ever world champion in darts.
Luke reached the final after defeating Fazakerley-born Stephen Bunting 6-1 in the semi-final last night. It comes just a year after his sensational rise from obscurity to the final of the 2024 championships, where he was defeated by Luke Humphries.
Luke may have been born in Warrington but he trained at the St Helens Darts Academy by Karl Holden. He still visits the St Helens Darts Shop, also owned by Karl.
The Windle pub on Hard Lane is where Luke was playing in an amateur darts league shortly before last year’s final. Rachel Frodsham, the landlady, met Luke after she took over the pub in late 2023.
She previously told the ECHO: “I came in and Luke was already part of the team here. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have a clue who he was until somebody told me. I got to know Luke and he’s a lovely guy. He’s so quiet. When you talk to him, he’s very lightly spoken.”
Due to Luke’s achievements he is no longer eligible to play in the amateur league but he is still able to throw “a few darts with the lads”. Luke has become renowned for his love of kebabs but Rachel claims he opts for a different meal at the pub.
This is a menu deal with pizza and a can of coke, which he has to have due to his age. She said: “It’s usually a pizza with a bottle of Budweiser but he has to have a coke or tango.”
The Windle is also full of darts history. The darts board has signatures from the likes of Becca Chisnall, a talented darts player and niece of fellow St Helens darts legend Dave Chisnall.
The Windle pub St Helens(Image: Jamie Greer/Liverpool ECHO)
Many in St Helens are delighted to see Luke doing so well. Speaking to the ECHO about his achievements this morning, former coach Karl, 55, said: “Everyone’s proud of what he’s done. He’s such a young lad.
“He keeps pushing the boundaries. I know the entire committee and darts academy are more than 100% behind him. We’re having a huge darts party tonight for the final.”
Karl adds that Luke has inspired a new generation of darts players, revealing they will be opening a bigger shop in St Helens town centre soon as the shop fights to keep up with demand. He said: “We’re past capacity and have loads more queries. The shop is struggling (to meet demand) and that’s not going to stop.”
Karl insists that, whatever the result, people should expect an entertaining game. He said: “Luke’s already won the Premier League Darts earlier this year which is the hardest to win.
“Only the best players do it and he beat Luke Humphries in the final. Van Gerwen is going to be well up for this. I do believe one set is just going to twist the game. Luke may jump all over it but he might not. I’m not expecting a poor quality game.
“Van Gerwen has been one of the best, if not the best, for the last 10 years. It’s going to be hard work for Luke but everyone’s looking forward to it. These are the two best players in the world.”