CULLEN: LITTLER IS THE BEST EVER

JOE CULLEN reckons LUKE LITTLER was “messing with him” mid-match and hails the teen sensation as the best player he has ever faced.

The Bradford thrower defeated Littler 6-3 at Players Championship One last year but has lost their other three meetings. 

World No.33 Cullen revealed his amazement after facing ‘The Nuke’, recalling a moment that left him questioning everything. 

Cullen believes Littler is unbeatable when he hits his top level and says the Warrington whizkid may have surpassed 16-time world champion Phil Taylor.

He told Winmau: “Littler, he is just very good at darts. I played him last year and I was 5-2 up against him. 

“He was playing terrible and then he hit an 11-darter, and it was the first time I thought to myself, does he do this on purpose just to give himself a test? 

“I have never felt like that playing anybody else. I’ve played Phil [Taylor] back in the day. 

“That is the first time I have felt like that playing somebody. Whereas if you are 5-2 up, you think I will find a leg from somewhere.

“I just thought, he is messing with me, this lad. He did it to Josh Rock at the World Matchplay as well. 

“He was 5-0 down and with normal players you think they are a long way down. 

“Whereas with him you think he will still win. There are not many players like that. 

“The only player you can compare him to is Phil [Taylor]. I think even Van Gerwen, when he had that little stint, he could still be beaten. 

“It’s a bold statement, but Littler is the only player — when he plays his top game — he doesn’t lose. 

“Whereas if Van Gerwen did, and maybe Phil as well. But I think Van Gerwen, Humphries, Wade, Gary — if they play their top game — they can still get beaten. 

“Littler, I think, has numbers only he is capable of, and it is a scary prospect.” 

Littler has already surged to third on the all-time list for major titles at just 19, trailing only Michael van Gerwen and Taylor. 

He returns to action on Thursday in the Premier League, where he faces Gian van Veen in Manchester, aiming to extend his lead at the top of the table.

Image by Taylor Lanning.