Three-time darts world champion Glen Durrant has praised Luke Littler for his exceptional calmness under pressure. So much so that the young prodigy appears effortless even when the stakes are sky-high.
‘The Nuke’ begins his defence of the PDC World Darts Championship title on Thursday, facing off against Darius Labanauskas. The duo will compete in the penultimate of four first-round matches scheduled for the tournament’s opening night. One aspect of Littler’s preparation (or lack thereof) has intrigued Durrant. The Middlesbrough legend spoke to The Mirror (in partnership with 10bet) ahead of the 2026 World Championship and expressed his astonishment at Littler’s ability to deliver results despite minimal preparation for his matches.
“He doesn’t practise, his preparation is bizarre,” said ‘Duzza’, before sharing a personal anecdote from observing Littler during a recent trip abroad. “In Finland, let me tell you, he left his quarter, sat on his phone, talked to his dad [while] sat with Phil Taylor, [and] he’d went and done a bullseye.
“[He] had three darts, went up on the stage in front of 6,500 people, banged 10 180s and was averaging 110 throughout. He didn’t throw a dart at the board.”
It’s widely accepted in darts that while players may not fit the mould of traditional athletes, preparation is taken extremely seriously. Yet Littler has rewritten the rules, having long maintained he doesn’t overdo things when it comes to practice.
In some ways, that reality will only add to the frustration of rivals who cannot match his standards despite dedicating countless hours away from the oche. Numerous stars of the sport have revealed they practise for hours every day; for Littler, it’s more accurately measured in minutes.
During the teenager’s journey to the 2024 World Championship final, one team-mate disclosed that figure could be as little as one hour per week. Nevertheless, there’s no disputing the results as the relaxed approach clearly works in his favour.
“I think he put stats on the other day, that he practiced 52 hours this year [2023], so that’s one hour per a week,” said one of Littler’s colleagues at Runcorn Golf Club back in January 2024. “He obviously doesn’t need the practice, but he’s got a lot of game time this week.”
Sky Sports pundit Durrant, who claimed the Premier League title in his debut year back in 2020, was also asked whether he had any theories about Littler’s weakness, be it a major talent or an even bigger personality. In short, nobody in the PDC world has discovered an answer to that question just yet.
Thursday’s face-off with Labanauskas marks the first competitive encounter between the two players as ‘Lucky D’ seeks to cause an upset. However, Durrant has suggested that the Lithuanian will be satisfied merely making it to the draw, which carries a boosted £15,000 consolation prize following the PDC’s decision to increase its prize fund this year.