DARTS ACE BELIEVES LITTLER IS BETTER THAN TAYLOR

LUKE LITTLER has been hailed as “better” than Phil Taylor by former pro Andy Cornwall. 

World No.2 Luke Littler clinched his SIXTH major title in just 15 months with a stunning World Matchplay triumph at the Winter Gardens. 

Teen sensation Littler posted the fifth-highest tournament average in Blackpool history with a superb 105.12 — but ‘The Power’ still holds the top four, led by his record-breaking 106.31 in 2010. 

But Cornwall made the bold claim while discussing the 18-year-old’s blistering rise and tipped the Warrington thrower to dominate the sport’s biggest events in the coming months. 

He told the Mission Darts Podcast: “I think Luke Littler might be better than Phil Taylor. I think he’ll win the Grand Slam. I think he’ll win the Worlds.  

“But the dodgy ones are the Players Championship Finals and European Championship because they are short format.

“He’s not the best at short format.” 

Ex-pro and darts analyst Matt Edgar added: “You mentioned there about him being better than Phil Taylor. Luke’s tournament average at the World Matchplay was 105. 
 
“So that puts him in the top five of all time for tournament averages. However, until then, there was all Phil Taylor, the top five.   

“And of which Phil Taylor, despite the fact we’re saying Luke Littler’s potentially better, Phil Taylor has four averages better than Phil Taylor in 2001, 2009, 2013 and 2010.  

“In 2010 he won the tournament averaging 106.31.” 

Cornwall was quick to add perspective, noting that 16-times World Champion Taylor had more than two decades of dominance — while Littler’s still in his breakthrough stage. 

He said: “We’re basing that on Phil Taylor’s 25 years in the sport.  

“We’ve only got 18 months of Luke Littler.” 

Edgar pointed out that Taylor achieved remarkable averages in an era with inferior equipment. 

He revealed: “But we’re basing that as well on substandard equipment, where now the equipment’s a lot better, the trebles are bigger. It’s a known fact. The trebles are bigger because the wires are smaller. 
 
“There’s less reduces of bounce outs because there’s no staples. So would that 106.31 in 2010 actually be more like 107, 108?”

Images by Taylor Lanning.