LITTLER WINS DEBUT PROTOUR AND HITS NINE!

LUKE LITTLER admitted he just couldn’t wait to get to BED after winning the Players Championship on his debut and hitting a nine-darter.

The Warrington wonderkid wowed Wigan on his ProTour debut with the perfect leg and taking victory with an 8-7 win over Ryan Searle in the final, who had delivered a staggering 111.71 average. 

Littler, 17, smashed the nine-darter in a 6-1 win over Michele Turetta and then narrowly missed double 12 to repeat the feat in a 6-2 win over Cameron Menzies. 

He then held his nerve to win deciding legs to take victory in the semis over Alan Soutar and in the final against Searle.

Littler became only the third player to win a title on his Players Championship debut and hit four ton-plus averages on the way to victory, including 109 in the final.

He said: “In the last leg you’ve just got to give it your all. I’m tired now. I can’t wait to get into bed!

“I know what I have to do to qualify for the Matchplay and the Grand Prix. 

“So after the first event I’m not far off. I’ve got another 13 or 14 ProTours before the Matchplay. It’s always good to get off to a good start.

“That’s what I wanted to do. I want to try and qualify for everything. I have to play on the floor tournaments. 

“I’m kind of used to playing in these little boxes. I’ve just got to play my game. I just take it in my stride.

“I’ve not got any goals for this year. I just want to see where they go and after my first few matches I was playing really well. 

“My game is there I know I can win one of these which I’ve done at my first attempt. 

“It takes huge pressure off me. You don’t want to go into the last few before the Matchplay needing to win two or one of them. This has helped me and I can settle and enjoy it.”

Littler also came agonisingly close to another nine-darter in his last 16 clash against Cameron Menzies, missing double 12 for perfection in leg five, before closing out victory with a 109 average.

Littler was one of three players to achieve perfection on an astonishing afternoon in Wigan, with 18-year-old Leighton Bennett crashing in a nine-darter in his first event as a Tour Card Holder.

Bennett produced the perfect leg in his second round win over Germany’s Lukas Wenig, before Mickey Mansell repeated the feat moments later to see off Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski.

Images by Taylor Lanning.