LITTLER BACKED TO FOLLOW TAYLOR’S WINNING FORMULA

LUKE LITTLER has been backed to follow Phil Taylor's winning blueprint as he chases the greatest season in darts history.

The world No1 has already landed the World Championship, Masters, UK Open, Premier League and World Cup this year.

Littler, 19, is targeting a clean sweep of darts’ major titles with the teen sensation needing to retain his World Matchplay, Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals crowns before winning the European Championship for the first time to complete the feat.

But Littler has skipped all 24 ProTour events held so far this season leaving him with just 10 Players Championship tournaments to qualify for Minehead.

16-time world champion Taylor played just three Players Championship events in 2016 and skipped the entire series in 2017.

Former pro Paul Nicholson believes Littler has already adopted the same approach that helped Taylor remain successful towards the latter stages of his career.

He told the Love the Darts Podcast: “Let’s not forget Luke is the defending champion at Minehead. He would like to go back-to-back UK Open and Players and do that again.

“I think he has mastered this Phil Taylor-style season where he doesn’t play a lot but peaks for the majors.

“If you think about how much he is defending at the [World Matchplay] tournament, it is sickening because it is first-round money from two years ago.

“It’s going to be the same at the World Grand Prix. His lead at the top of the world rankings is going to be enormous.

“With Humphries defending the winner’s cheque and Littler not defending anything, it’s just going to widen.

“Unless Littler goes out early, which nobody expects to happen.”

Pundit Michael Bridge added: “He will be on the ball no doubt about it. He hasn’t played much lately. He has obviously been in America for the World Series and doing a lot of PR events.

“We know he has not been apart of the Euro Tour at the moment. There is still question marks whether he will do any ProTours at all.

“I think he might change his mind if he wins the Matchplay because he will want to win everything.

“I know people in his team are denying that but I think he will go for it if he wins the Matchplay.

“We know Luke and where there is a goal he is so incredibly driven. He has not been playing in the ProTours.

“There is a suggestion to me that it is too late to get to Minehead. But there is definitely time.

“I think the point they are making as well as incredible as he is the ProTour is so nasty you can literally go out in the first round the two or three you do in the week.

“But if he wins this then I think it will propel him to want to go to Minehead.”

Littler returns to action this Saturday at Blackpool and will face Niko Springer in round one.

Words: Aaron Nijjar

Image: Taylor Lanning