Luke Littler has sent a public message to Peter Wright after their emotional German Darts Championship final on Sunday. Littler suffered a shock defeat against Wright and broke down in tears after the match while paying his tribute to his friend’s late father.
“I have got to give a massive shout out to my friend Ellis,” said ‘The Nuke’ after being beaten 8-5 by ‘Snakebite’. “He lost his dad. I’ve known him since I was three or four.”
Littler was consoled by the on-stage announcer and led away in tears. The 17-year-old subsequently explained why he got so emotional on Instagram and admitted his friend’s dad’s death had been weighing on his mind.
“Not looking for sympathy or anything I was just trying to say how my best mate has lost his dad at such a young age, I’ve known Ellis since we were both three, four and it’s been on my mind all week,” he wrote. “(He’s) the strongest lad I know and just couldn’t get the job done as I would have liked.”
Littler has now spoken out again, though his latest statement commends Wright for the performance which led him to a surprising victory in Germany.
“Just wanted to thank everyone for the messages after the other night appreciate all the support,” Littler posted on X. “Wasn’t the result I wanted but Peter played well all weekend so congrats to him for the win.”
In Hildesheim, Littler narrowly missed out on his third European Tour title of the season. He held a commanding 5-2 lead over Wright until a 146 finish from the Scotsman inspired him to win six consecutive legs and clinch the top prize.
Littler was the hot favourite going into the contest, having reached the World Darts Championship final in January and gone on to win Premier League Darts in May.
Wright was dominated week after week in the Premier League, finishing with just four points after 16 weeks of action, while Littler topped the pile on 40. ‘Snakebite’ had his own emotional moment at the German Darts Championship after beating Michael van Gerwen earlier in the night.
“It kind of feels like Snakebite is on his way back,” he said in his post-match interview while choking back tears. “I’m on the way back.”