Littler defends Matchplay title, breaks Taylor records
13 reported
Luke Littler defended his World Matchplay title in Blackpool, defeating seventh seed Gerwyn Price 18-9 to become the fourth person to win back-to-back Matchplay titles. The 19-year-old world number one finished the week with an average of 111.04, surpassing Phil Taylor’s tournament record of 106.31 from 2010. Littler also set a new final average record of 111.53, bettering Taylor’s 111.23 against Adrian Lewis in 2013. He earned £225,000 in prize money and now leads the PDC’s two-year order of merit with £3,143,500, £2.13 million ahead of second-place Luke Humphries. Littler told Sky Sports the week was “one of the best weeks of my life” and described the stage as tough despite the statistics. Price averaged 104.97 in the final and climbed to fourth in the order of merit, reclaiming the Welsh number one spot from Jonny Clayton. Littler also hit 12 180s in the final, setting a new tournament record of 66, surpassing his own total from last year, and extended his winning streak in matches of 20 or more legs to 29.
What’s reported
Luke Littler defended his World Matchplay title, beating Gerwyn Price 18-9 in Blackpool.
He is the fourth person to win back-to-back Matchplay titles.
Littler finished the week with an average of 111.04, beating Phil Taylor’s record of 106.31 from 2010.
He averaged 111.53 in the final, setting a new record above Taylor’s 111.23 against Adrian Lewis in 2013.
Littler earned £225,000 in prize money and has £3,143,500 over the PDC’s two-year order of merit, £2.13m more than Luke Humphries.
Price averaged 104.97 in the final and climbed to fourth in the order of merit, reclaiming Welsh number one from Jonny Clayton.
Littler hit 12 180s in the final, setting a tournament record of 66, surpassing his own total from last year.
His win extended his streak to 29 successive wins in matches of 20 or more legs.
His last defeat in a match of that duration was the 2024 World Championship final against Luke Humphries.
Littler stated his intention to attempt a clean sweep of PDC ranking titles in the calendar year, a feat never achieved.
The Players Championship Finals in November are a sticking point; Littler has skipped the first 24 Pro Tour events and pulled out of two in Hildesheim, leaving eight left.
A win in a Pro Tour event is worth £15,000; a runner-up spot £10,000.
Former BDO world champion Mark Webster said he “half expects” Littler to achieve the clean sweep.
Key figures
Luke Littler: 19-year-old world number one darts player, defended World Matchplay title.
Gerwyn Price: Seventh seed, lost final 18-9, averaged 104.97.
Phil Taylor: Former champion whose tournament and final average records were broken.
Luke Humphries: Second in PDC order of merit, £2.13m behind Littler.
Jonny Clayton: Former Welsh number one, replaced by Price.
Mark Webster: Former BDO world champion, commented on Littler’s potential clean sweep.
Sources: BBC News
