Luke Littler may have had a smooth start to his World Darts Championship defence, but his post-match interview was far from it. The world number one had to dodge an infamous Ally Pally wasp that interrupted his celebrations after a hard-earned victory over Darius Labanauskas in the first round.
The reigning world champion made his debut on the Ally Pally stage since his victory over Michael van Gerwen in last January’s final. The newly-crowned world No.1 had to dig deep to fend off a major upset against Labanauskas. Despite securing a 3-0 win, Littler only managed four more legs than his opponent and averaged 101.54.
Littler squared off against the 49-year-old Lithuanian, a Palace legend who reached the quarter-final in 2020 and achieved a nine-dart finish the following year against Mike De Decker. It was as challenging a first-round draw as the young star could have faced, and his relief was evident when he narrowly defeated Labanauskas to win the opening set.
Labanauskas twice took the lead in the first set, holding his throw and forcing Littler to level twice before checking out 76 to win the fifth leg against the throw, averaging 103.59. ‘The Nuke’ celebrated with a dance that mirrored Danny Welbeck’s goal celebration for Manchester United at the Santiago Bernabeu. He grinned and laughed with the crowd, joining in as they sang the darts anthem ‘Chase the Sun’.
Littler’s unease was clear in the second set as he struggled against the world No. 95. Despite recording four 180s and averaging 101.21, ‘The Nuke’ was forced into a fifth-leg decider in the second set, ultimately establishing a 2-0 advantage.
‘The Nuke’ recovered from losing the opening leg of the set with his first ton-plus checkout of the match, hitting the bull on 124. Littler then delivered another setback to Labanauskas with a ton-plus finish for a 120 out.
He came back to checkout on D6, clinching the victory and a place in the second round. However, not everyone was won over by Littler’s display.
The infamous Ally Pally wasp made its first appearance of the year, causing the world champion to duck and weave during his post-match interview. When the interview eventually started, Littler voiced his satisfaction at having ten days off before returning for the second round of the competition.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Littler said: “It wasn’t easy and looking at the stats there, it didn’t feel like that. I’m happy with the win There was a bit of nerves but when you come up here and win a leg, two legs, then you win the set, it proper settles you down. That first set was crucial against the darts.
“Then coming back on stage with the darts, another 3-2 set but as long as you win the sets, that’s all that matters. I think everyone in the tournament wants to get out of the first round.
“It’s definitely the hardest game, it doesn’t matter who you play. If you don’t play well, you’re not going to win, but I’m very happy with that. First game done and now I get ten days off.”
Littler has also been put forward for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and when asked if he thought he had it in the bag, he responded modestly. He said: “Nah I don’t think so. If I had to pick my winner, it would definitely be Lando [Norris].”