Luke Littler’s pre-Grand Slam final meal leaves Martin Lukeman baffled – ‘He’s a joke’ | Other | Sport
Martin Lukeman was left gobsmacked by Luke Littler’s meal during the Grand Slam of Darts final on Sunday night.
Littler waltzed his way to a first-ever TV-ranked major title with a stunning 16-3 victory over Lukeman, as the Nuke pocketed another £150,000 in prize money.
It takes his earnings for the year just over £1million, with the Players Championship still to come next weekend before the World Darts Championship kicks off in mid-December.
The teenage sensation rocketed up to fifth in the world rankings with his Grand Slam victory, but it was Littler’s eating habits that shocked Lukeman the most.
When asked about what makes Littler so good, Lukeman said after the contest in Wolverhampton: “He is a joke, that’s how good he is. He’s absolutely ridiculous, he has a Boost bar, a meal deal and a curry, walks up there and smashes them in like that.
“I’m stood there like ‘what?’ [laughing]. So 98 per cent of the players are down there doing what they do, he’s actually had a curry, a Boost, a couple of little, what are those little sweets? Half pink half white… Squashies.
“He’s eating Squashies at half time… but I take my hat off to him, he’s absolutely awesome.”
An unconventional approach, but one that clearly has the desired effect, given Littler was unstoppable in the final against Lukeman.
Registering the third-highest average in the Grand Slam final history, Littler became the youngest-ever winner of the Eric Bristow trophy.
It was a day to remember in the West Midlands, with Littler having beaten legendary darts ace Gary Anderson in a nail-biting semi-final just hours before taking to the stage for Sunday’s final.
Buoyed by his first TV-ranked major, Littler told Sky Sports after the match: “I’m so glad to win it. I’ve been playing well all week. It’s been a long week but it’s paid off.
“This is one of the ones I wanted to win. My major record isn’t the best but I just wanted to go deep. Obviously, it’s even better now I’ve won it and it shows I’m still here.”
As well as the lucrative prize, Littler’s Grand Slam victory will give him a welcome confidence boost on the back of some uncharacteristic performances in previous majors.
Prior to this week, Littler had been knocked out in the first round of his last three major appearances, with his only other since the World Championship final earlier this year, a quarter-final run at the UK Open.
Action kicks off in the Players Championship Finals on Friday November 22, with the final in Minehead set for Sunday November 24.
