Luke Littler demolishes Raymond van Barneveld to keep adventure going

Teenager into quarter-final after beating former championBrendan Dolan next as draw opens up nicely for Littler

This was always going to happen, you know. That there would eventually come a point in time when genetics, circumstance, opportunity and doner meat combined to produce the perfect darts specimen. It’s a simple enough skill and the barriers to entry are invitingly low. Statistically speaking, there have probably been humans born who were as naturally talented at darts as Luke Littler. All that was required was for one of them to realise it.

And now he’s a world championship quarter-finalist at the age of 16, and he’s a little beamish, and he’s a little bewildered, but – crucially – he’s not in the least bit surprised. Nothing about his demeanour or his carriage suggests he didn’t see all this coming at some point. Maybe not now, but then again why not? After all, he’s always known how good he is. He’s been feeling the tactile thunk of a treble bed since before he could properly walk. It’s everyone else who needed to get up to speed.

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