LITTLER REIGNITES ALLY PALLY LOVE

LUKE LITTLER was buzzing to be fans’ darling again as he kept his back-to-back bid on track.

The Nuke whitewashed Krzysztof Ratajski in rapid style and was supported throughout the win by the Ally Pally crowd.

Littler admits he lost the head in Monday’s clash with Rob Cross after being barracked and his on-stage interview about fans paying his wages didn’t impress some critics.

However, after some pantomime boos at the beginning, they were soon chanting the 18-year-old’s name and he responded by delivering a 5-0 win.

Littler had feared the worst, but said: “The crowd was very good. Obviously it’s the New Year, so obviously there must be some new fans! But, yeah, the fans were great, I was good and we’ll move on to tomorrow.”

Littler did his bit to get them on side quickly with a stunning 170 finish to win the opening set and he smiled: “First set is always crucial. I don’t think I’ve gone 1-0 down yet in the tournament, so it’s always good to go 1-0 up and hitting the fish as well.”

Littler also later went six into a nine-dart attempt, but wasn’t totally satisfied with his overall show and reckons it might have been down to two days off prior to the game.

He said: “Everyone wants to hit a nine, someone wants £60,000, but I was just saying to myself to try and be better. A win’s a win, but when I went 2-0 up, I asked the guys in the back what I was averaging. They said 101. I was just like: What are you talking about? No chance. I didn’t feel comfortable. Hopefully now I’m playing day after day, I’ll play better tomorrow.”

It was a quickfire win and he added: “The quicker the better. I get to spend more time at home, relaxing. I had a test in the last round, so I wanted it straightforward and it was straightforward. But fair play to Kristoff, he’s got to the quarter-finals for the very first time. He can be very happy. But I’m even more happy into the semi-final once again.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.