Nathan Aspinall confronted Luke Littler’s dad after darts contest | Other | Sport
Nathan Aspinall once confronted Luke Littler’s dad after beating the teenage sensation in a darts match.
Littler has taken the sporting world by storm over the past year and he etched his name in darts folklore on Friday night when he was crowned the youngest-ever World Championship winner.
The 17-year-old blitzed past three-time winner Michael van Gerwen at the Ally Pally final, while bagging a handsome £500,000 in the process.
Ever since Littler made it all the way to the 2024 final, it felt like a matter of when not if he’d be crowned world champion.
In the end, Littler completed his dream in double quick time, with the darting world now asking how many world titles the Nuke could win before retiring.
But Aspinall, who lost to the eventual champion at this year’s World Championship, has previously admitted to confronting Littler’s dad when the pair played against each other five years ago.
Reflecting on his first-ever match against Littler, who was 12 at the time, Aspinall told The Manchester Evening News: “The first time I came across Luke, I think it was in Chester in a tournament and I beat him 4-3.
“I think he was aged four! No, he was around 12 and wow, I just thought ‘who is the kid?’.
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“I remember seeing his dad with him and he was dead critical of him because he’d lost. I was thinking mate, he’s 12, and I was in the top 16 in the world at that time and I said ‘give him a break’.
“His dad said ‘no, he needs to learn’ and that hard talk over the years has probably produced one of the best players in our sport. He’s amazing and what else can you say?”
It’s a strategy that has clearly paid off, considering Littler, who doesn’t turn 18 until later this month, is ranked second in the PDC Order of Merit.
In the aftermath of this World Championship victory, Littler paid tribute to his dad’s influence on his game, telling The Daily Mail: “My dad looked so settled throughout the game.
“When I was looking over to him, he didn’t look nervous. So I knew myself that if he’s not nervous then I just need to play with freedom.
“I look at everyone who’s there. But he’s probably the main one. He said last night that he wasn’t nervous but at 4-0, he started to get that feeling in his stomach.”
Littler is now expected to enjoy some well-earned time away from the oche, before returning to action for the Bahrain Masters in mid-January.
