LUKE LITTLER was knocked out of the Players Championship in a huge upset.
But the world champ seemingly nodded his APPROVAL as he was sent packing.
Luke Littler was dumped out of the Players Championship by Ian White[/caption]
Littler appeared to nod his approval as White closed out the win[/caption]
The Nuke showed his class despite being knocked out[/caption]
Littler, 18, came unstuck against Ian White in a high-quality third round showdown in Leicester.
Tied at 5-5 in legs, White came up trumps in the decider.
Littler failed to close out 102.
And that opened the door for White.
The veteran took full advantage as he checked out 46 to dump the Nuke out.
As he did so, Littler appeared to be nodding in the background.
White – 37 years Littler’s senior who played against the Nuke’s grandad Phil – opted to go with 6, D20 for his 46.
He nailed the 6 which left him with tops.
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White went just above the wire with his first attempt but it was the perfect marker to clinch the 12-dart leg.
And as the camera flicked back from the board to the two players, the teenager stood in the background nodding his head – appearing to acknowledge how White set up the finale.
White then delivered the winning arrow, nailing D20 before turning around to shake hands with the heavy favourite.
And darts fans took to social media to react to the shock result.
One said: “Littler nodding in the background as soon as the marker was set above the D20.”
Another wrote: “Ian White always seems to turn it on, when the crowd attendance is 0.”
Premier League Darts 2025: Dates and venues
Night 1 – Belfast: Humphries beat Dobey 6-1
Night 2 – Glasgow: Littler beat Humphries 6-5
Night 3 – Dublin: Price beat Aspinall 6-3
Night 4 – Exeter: Humphries beat Littler 6-4
Night 5 – Brighton: Littler beat Aspinall 6-3
Night 6 – Nottingham: Price beat Littler 6-3
Night 7 – Cardiff: Littler beat Van Gerwen 6-4
Night 8 – Newcastle: Littler beat Humphries 6-1
Night 9 – Uber Arena, Berlin – Thursday April 3
Night 10 – AO Arena, Manchester – Thursday April 10
Night 11 – Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam – Thursday April 17
Night 12 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – Thursday April 24
Night 13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Thursday May 1
Night 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds – Thursday May 8
Night 15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen – Thursday May 15
Night 16 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield – Thursday May 22
Play-Offs – The O2, London – Thursday May 29
And a third added: “This is what it takes to beat Littler. Insane really.”
Littler was magnanimous in defeat – but will be desperate to rediscover his top form later in the week.
He will be back at the Mattioli Arena tomorrow – where he hit a nine darter this month – for Players Championship 10.
And then on Thursday it is Night Nine of the Premier League in Berlin.
Littler faces Chris Dobey in his quarter-final as he looks to extend his lead at the top of the table.
The Warrington wonderkid has four match wins and 26 points in total, placing him eight clear of Luke Humphries.
