Clemens turns Into Littler 'fanboy' after World Matchplay heroics

GABRIEL CLEMENS admitted he became a “fanboy” after watching Luke Littler smash Phil Taylor’s greatest-ever World Matchplay record.

The world No45 was on commentary duties throughout the Winter Gardens in Blackpool as Littler produced what many are calling the greatest televised performance in darts history.

Littler, 19, stormed to the title with a staggering 111.05 average across 107 legs to shatter Taylor’s benchmark of 106.32, which had stood since 2010.

Even more remarkably, Littler failed to produce a single 18-darter and hit just ONE 17-dart leg during his relentless run, underlining just how dominant he was over the sport’s longest format.

The Nuke dispatched Gerwyn Price 18-9 in the final to collect his SIXTH major crown this year.

Clemens admitted he could not help but admire what he was witnessing.

He told Darts auf die 1: “It was absolutely brutal.

“I was commentating on it and at some point I think I became a bit of a fanboy.

“Normally I'm more into the older players — Gary Anderson, Barney — I always liked watching the veterans.

“But what he produced, especially over that distance, was just completely insane.

“This is the Matchplay, not just a Players Championship event that's first to six legs.

“This is first to 17 or 18, and he was that dominant. It's unbelievable.”

Littler remains on course to complete an unprecedented clean sweep of every PDC Premier event in the 2026 campaign.

His remaining targets are the World Series Finals, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals.

While some fans have claimed Littler’s dominance is making the sport predictable, Clemens insists he is simply enjoying the ride.

He added: “I can understand why a lot of people say it's become boring because he's so dominant.

“But at the end of the day, I just find it fascinating to watch.

“Maybe you don't always get the tension in the match, but it's simply fascinating.”

Words: Aaron Nijjar

Image: Taylor Lanning