Littler Defeats Rock 16-7 to Reach World Matchplay Semifinals
6 verified4 unconfirmed
Luke Littler continued his World Matchplay title defence by defeating Josh Rock 16-7 in the quarter-finals in Blackpool. The world number one and defending champion took control after the match was tied 5-5, winning five consecutive legs to build an unassailable lead. Littler threw 17 180s and finished with a scoring average of 109.57. He will face unseeded Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode in the semi-finals on Saturday. Van Duijvenbode earlier reached his first Matchplay semi-final by beating Gary Anderson 16-13. The tournament continues Friday with quarter-finals featuring Gian van Veen versus James Wade and Gerwyn Price against Ross Smith.
What’s verified
Luke Littler defeated Josh Rock 16-7 in the World Matchplay quarter-finals.
Littler is the defending champion and world number one.
He threw 17 180s and recorded a scoring average of 109.57.
Littler will face Dirk van Duijvenbode in Saturday’s semi-final.
Van Duijvenbode beat Gary Anderson 16-13 in his quarter-final.
Friday’s quarter-final matches are Gian van Veen vs James Wade and Gerwyn Price vs Ross Smith.
Not yet confirmed
Only one source reported that Littler hit a nine-darter against Nathan Aspinall earlier in the tournament and had a first-round average of 113.
Only one source reported that Littler’s win over Rock extended his streak of consecutive victories in matches over 20 legs to 27.
Only one source reported that Van Duijvenbode said he was shaking “like a little child crying for his mum” after his second-round win over Michael van Gerwen.
It is not clear from the sources what Littler’s averages were in his earlier matches beyond the quarter-final.
Key figures
Luke Littler, Josh Rock, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Gary Anderson, Gian van Veen, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Ross Smith, Mark Webster (darts analyst on Sky Sports).
Sources: BBC News, Sky Sports
