Key events
Littler 7-2 Smith
This is a rout. Littler has actually dropped off in the last few legs – but so has Smith, who misses tops for a break and is punished yet again. Smith hit his first two darts at double; he’s missed the last seven.
Littler breaks again!
Littler 6-2 Smith Every game needs a farcical leg, and that was it. Littler missed eight darts from 28, but Smith kept missing as well and Littler ended the nonsense on D2. A 22-dart leg, the hell he’ll care.
Littler 5-2 Smith
Smith hasn’t had a look-in on the Littler throw. There’s an outside chance when he has a go at 108, but he can’t hit a treble and Littler punishes him.
The two players have hit seven out of eight doubles so far.
Littler 4-2 Smith He does hold, though he’ll have been worried when Littler had a look at 130. He couldn’t hit a treble with his first two darts and Smith returned to hit double 4.
Littler is averaging about 116.
Littler 4-1 Smith Littler is bullying Bully, and I’m struggling to keep up. He takes out 92 on D15 with Smith miles back on 261.
Smith has got to hold in this next leg or it’s probably done.
Littler breaks!
Littler 3-1 Smith No nine-darter – he managed seven perfect darts before missing T19 – but more importantly he has broken Smith already. He pinged his bestie D10 to complete a 12-darter, and now Smith is effectively two breaks behind.
Littler is six darts into a nine on the Smith throw…
Littler takes out 144! Littler 2-1 Smith
Now we’re talking. Smith hits a 180 to leave 96, only for Littler to hit T20 T20 and a roof-bothering D12. Great stuff.
Littler 1-1 Smith
Littler almost has a pop at 146 against the throw, wiring a second T19 during his set-up. Smith returns, needing 67, and hits his only dart at tops for a 15-dart hold. He needed that, even at this early stage.
Littler 1-0 Smith
Littler starts with 96, Smith 46, and Littler has control of the leg throughout. Eventually he goes out in 14 darts, finishing 68 on D10.
Littler will throw first, having finished top of the league stage. Let’s play darts.
It’s time to meet… the players
Luke Littler strolls towards the stage, absent-mindedly fist-bumping fans before embracing his family. When he gets on stage he breaks into a smile and starts conducting the crowd to whatever the hell his walk-on song is*. He looks so relaxed; it’s not right.
Michael Smith looks slightly bashful, as he often does during his walk-on. Once the match starts and he gets into his hypnotic rhythm, he’ll be at home.
* Greenlight by Pitbull, it says here.
Backstage at the O2
Who’s ready for tonight?! These four are… 🏆
The FINAL of Premier League Darts. Watch on Sky Sports from 7pm 🍿 pic.twitter.com/2iE86g8JY2
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) May 23, 2024
“When I was 17 (a long time ago),” writes Krishnamoorthy V, “I did not even know which college I would be getting into.”
Luke Littler’s breezy maturity is quite something, isn’t it? When I was 17 I could barely say “here sir” at registration, never mind go on Jonathan Ross and Children in Need and wind up a Liverpool crowd.
What this Premier League has confirmed, or at least suggested in the strongest terms, is that Littler’s temperament is commensurate with his talent. That’s terrifying for anyone who plans to play professional darts between now and the year 2050.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, leg-by-leg coverage of a big night of darts at the O2 Arena in London. With an apology for any possible recency bias, this might be the most mouthwatering Finals Night in Premier League history. In the next few hours, the top three in the world rankings and the most frighteningly brilliant 17-year-old known to man will battle to become Premier League champion.
The standard is such that the reigning champion Michael van Gerwen, who has won a record seven Premier League titles, is some people’s fourth favourite tonight. Van Gerwen faces the world No1 Luke Humphries – who has won all of their last six meetings – in the second semi-final. Before that the phenomenal Luke Littler, who topped the group stage in his debut season and did we mention he’s bloody 17, faces Michael Smith.
The Lukes are favourites to meet in the final, as they did at the World Championship in January. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider this is their first Premier League season, never mind their first Finals Night. And they are playing two of the greats. Van Gerwen has qualified for every Finals Night bar one since his debut in 2013; Smith was world champion last year and continues to make 180-hitting look utterly effortless.
Whoever wins, it will be a great story. Either one of Smith, Humphries and Littler will become the eighth man to win the Premier League, or Van Gerwen will do so for the eighth time himself and make a statement beloved of serial winners: there’s an old sheriff in town.
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Luke Littler v Michael Smith (7.15pm)
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Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen (8.15pmish)
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Littler/Smith v Humphries/Van Gerwen (9.30pmish)
Semi-finals are the best of 19 legs; the final is the best of 21