LITTLER LOOKS TO END LOSING STREAK TO PRICE

By Aaron Nijjar

LUKE LITTLER is determined to break his six-match losing streak to Gerwyn Price as he looks to make history in the Premier League.  

‘The Nuke’ sits six points clear at the top of the table and is aiming for a record FIFTH nightly win this season with six weeks still remaining. 

Teen sensation Littler has also hit a nine-darter and surpassed a CENTURY of maximums in the tournament this year. 

Former World champion Price who has got the better of Littler in their last six encounters stands in his way on Night Ten in Manchester.  

Five-time major winner Littler admits that Price knows how to beat him but insists he will approach the match the same way as any other. 

He said: “I wouldn’t say I’m motivated to obviously beat him, obviously I want to try and beat him, but I won’t go on stage saying to myself ‘you need to win this, you need to win this’. 

“I’ll just go up on stage with the same mindset of winning that first game and getting two points on the board. 

“I know he’s obviously got the record and he knows how to beat me but hopefully I can try and get that win over him.” 

The Warrington ace is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 6-2 defeat to Chris Dobey on Night Nine in Berlin.  

World No. 2 Littler received a negative reception in Germany and seemed affected by boos from the crowd. 

Littler believes he was targeted because he is English. 

He added: “I had a little headloss moment, as some of us players do. I just don’t get it and I can’t explain it.

“Obviously you do your walk-on but then as soon as I got on stage I started getting booed. 

“I got booed in Hildesheim last year against Peter Wright on the European Tour. I was flying and then they started booing me and I lost.  

“Even when I went one-nil up, they still didn’t like it. He then went 5-1 up and, yeah, one of them moments. 

“It’s something we’ve all got to deal with. For myself, obviously, there are certain people in the crowd who aim it at certain players.  

“Me and Luke Humphries, we get it quite a lot. Obviously, the Germans musn’t like us English.” 

Image by Taylor Lanning.