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One of the key lyrics of Stephen Bunting’s iconic exit refers to him being “bulletproof”.
But in the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship, Bunting’s body armor was repeatedly pierced by a red-hot. Luke Littler.
Young teenager Littler booked his place in a second successive World Championship final as he defeated Bunting 6-1 in their semi-final at Alexandra Palace.
Bunting posted a sensational three-dart average of 113.35 as he came out of the gate, while Littler posted 105.92.
However, it was Littler who was clinical in the doubles and took the first set.
It was a sign of what was to come, as Bunting, regardless of the number of haymakers he threw at Littler, slipped every single one of them and produced a clinical double.
Such was Bunting’s rebellious nature in the second set, he hit just one double in ten attempts.
As for Littler, he hit three of eight to take the second set at three-to-one.
Littler kept his foot on the gas, posting an explosive three-dart average of 114.2 in the third set to Bunting’s 91.2.
In the blink of an eye, the four-set tiebreaker went in favor of the 17-year-old from Warrington.
Bunting managed to take the fifth set, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
The Liverpool player was one dart away from reducing the deficit to two sets, but missed his chance.
Littler made him pay and roared as he took a 5-1 lead.
The 17-year-old came out in the seventh set to seal the win and was a picture of pure joy after hitting the final dart.
With the victory, Littler’s attention now turns to the finals, where he will become a three-time world champion. Michael Van Gerwen.
Littler’s appearance at the final hurdle also made him the seventh player in history to reach back-to-back World Championship finals.
The 17-year-old will be hoping to go one better than last year, as he fell agonizingly short. Luke Humphries.
History is on the cards if Littler beats Van Gerwen, as he will break the Dutchman’s record as the youngest world champion.
Van Gerwen currently holds the record, as he was 24 when he won darts’ most iconic tournament in 2014. Peter Wright in the final
Even if Littler falls short on Friday, he still has plenty of years in the bank to beat Van Gerwen’s record.
Indeed, the Dutchman fully expects to be broken by his rival at some stage, not that he’s too fazed by the numbers behind it all.
“He (Little) still has a lot of years,” Van Gerwen said.
“With his ability, it would surprise me if he doesn’t do it.
I really don’t care; I don’t look at statistics. The same people talking to me about breaking some of Phil Taylor’s records – I don’t care.
Bahrain Dart Masters (January 19): smaller 8-5 Van Groen
Dutch Masters of Darts (January 27): Littler 6-8 Van Groen
Premier League (Feb. 8): Littler 5-6 Van Groen
Premier League (February 22): Littler 5-6 Van Groen
Premier League (March 14): smaller 6-2 Van Groen
Premier League (March 28): smaller 6-3 Van Groen
Premier League (April 4): smaller 6-3 Van Groen
Premier League (May 9): Littler 1-6 Van Groen
World Series (July 15): Littler 6-10 Van Groen
World Series of Darts Finals (September 15): smaller 11-4 Van Groen
European tour (October 20): smaller 6-1 Van Groen
TOTAL: Littler six wins, Van Gerwen five wins
“It’s all about what you do now, and whoever is in your way. You have to face it and beat it.”
Aside from being a part of history as the youngest winner, Littler is hoping to add even more to his already bursting purse.
Before the last iteration of the World Series, Littler had Earned over £1 million in prize money
That’s a number made all the more absurd considering it was Littler’s first year on the tour.
£618.5k of this seven-figure sum came from PDC Major Event prizes.
That will increase to a minimum of £818,500 on Friday, as the runner-up in the final will be guaranteed to win £200,000.
2023-24 World Cup: 200 thousand pounds
Grand Slam Darts 2024: 153.5 thousand pounds
Players Championships: 71.5 thousand pounds
Europe tour: 91 thousand pounds
Other PDC events: 102.5 thousand pounds
Non-PDC events: 395 thousand pounds
total (before 2024-25 World Cup): £1.0135 million
As for the winner, they will take home £500,000 plus the Sid Waddell Prize.
Littler’s win over Bunting too It placed him second on the PDC Live Merit listwhich tracks a player’s earnings over a two-year period.
Supplementing Littler’s £1m earnings is his prize money from invitational events, such as the Premier League of Darts and the World Series of Darts.
From those non-ranked events, Littler won £395,000.
However, money will not be on Littler’s mind when he takes to the field at Alexandra Palace on Friday.
It will be the image of him lifting the Syd Waddell trophy and etching his name in darts history.
He only has the small task of stopping Van Gerwen.