Luke Littler’s little wobble continues as World No.1 falls short in youth return
Mark Strijbosch
The 19-year-old is the world No.1, a back-to-back senior world champion and already the biggest name in darts. Entering an age-group tournament at this stage of his career invited an obvious question: what exactly was there to gain?
That question became even louder after Littler was beaten 6-5 by Cam Crabtree in the semi-finals.
Crabtree produced a composed performance in Wigan, averaging 97.91 and surviving a fierce Littler comeback. The Nuke hit a 164 checkout, reeled off consecutive 14-darters and landed a 117 finish to force a deciding leg, only for Crabtree to hold his nerve and complete the upset.
For Littler, the defeat matters less because of the tournament itself and more because it adds to a rare run of setbacks.
His attempt to sweep the major PDC titles had already ended at the World Series of Darts Finals, while the World Grand Prix brought an even bigger shock as Luke Woodhouse knocked him out in the opening round.
Littler averaged just 82.41 in that defeat, a long way below the terrifying standard he has made look routine over the past two seasons.
There is no genuine crisis here. Littler has enjoyed a staggering 2026 and remains the player everyone else is trying to catch.
The problem is that dominance changes the way defeats are viewed.
When a player wins this often, two or three losses quickly become a talking point. Returning to youth competition while already established at the very top also made this particular defeat harder to shrug off. A victory would have been treated as expected. Losing only fuels the sense that Littler has hit his first meaningful dip for some time.
Up Next: The European Championships
The calendar gives him little time to dwell on it.
The European Championship is next on the major schedule before the Grand Slam of Darts, with the World Championship looming beyond that in December.
That is where Littler’s form really matters.
Nobody will care about a youth semi-final defeat if he arrives at Alexandra Palace throwing at his destructive best. For now, though, the aura of total invincibility has cracked slightly, and the next few events will show whether this is merely a wobble or something his rivals can actually exploit.
