Luke Littler Reveals Why He Was Almost Late To Premier League Night In Leeds

Now seven points clear at the top of the Premier League Darts table after a record-matching sixth nightly win, Luke Littler once again proved why he is the man to beat.

The teenage sensation edged out arch rival Luke Humphries 6-5 in a dramatic final at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, silencing a crowd packed with Yorkshire support for ‘Cool Hand’.

But while Littler’s brilliance on the oche stole the headlines, the bigger story was perhaps how close he came to not making it to the venue on time at all.

Rush From Warrington

Speaking to SportsBoom after his victory, Littler admitted he arrived at the arena barely an hour before his opening match against Michael van Gerwen after a chaotic journey from home in Warrington.

The reigning back-to-back world champion revealed that both he and partner Faith lost track of time before setting off for the 60-mile drive to Leeds.

“I came straight from home. We were supposed to leave for 3PM, but yeah, we didn't, I wasn't ready, Faith wasn't ready and then we're rushing about,” Littler told SportsBoom.co.uk. 

Despite the delayed departure, Littler still found time to focus on one of his growing side ventures away from darts.

eBay Cards Delay Adds To Chaos

The 19-year-old has become known among fans for selling sports cards through eBay, regularly posting videos on Instagram of himself packaging and shipping items to buyers.

Those sales added another stop to an already frantic schedule before heading to Leeds.

“Then we went to post office, got them cards off eBay gone, give everyone the shipping, all that tracking numbers.”

“That's why we were nearly almost late but got here in time.”

‘A Bit Reckless’

Littler admitted the situation became increasingly stressful as the estimated arrival time continued to rise during the drive.

However, there was little time for nerves because he was behind the wheel himself.

“I was driving, yeah, it was a bit reckless, but I had to get here. The timing was just kept going up and up and up, but yeah, managed to get here about, I think it was 20 to 7, quarter to seven, it's all planned out well.”

With Sky Sports coverage beginning at 7PM and Littler second on the schedule, the youngster had less than an hour inside the venue before taking to the stage against Van Gerwen.

It clearly had little impact on his performance as he stormed through the night and denied Humphries a third straight Premier League win in Leeds.

Beeping Leeds Stars Outside The Arena

The evening also produced a hilarious moment involving several Leeds United players who had attended the event to support Humphries.

Karl Darlow, Sam Byram, Sean Longstaff and Alex Cairns were all spotted in the crowd during the Sky Sports broadcast after Humphries invited members of the squad to celebrate the club effectively securing Premier League survival.

As Littler rushed towards the venue, he unexpectedly found himself driving past the Leeds players outside the arena.

The teenager spotted captain Ethan Ampadu and winger Willy Gnonto before deciding to make his presence known.

“Yeah, I was like around the corner from the venue, I see them all. I spotted Ethan Ampadu. I was like, 'Is that Ethan Ampadu?', and then the next person was Willy Gnonto, the little one. I beeped at him and then I looked at my mirror, and they were all looking, so I beeped again,” he laughed.

Humphries had not lost in Leeds for two years before Littler ended that streak in front of a crowd heavily backing his rival.

“Obviously Luke hasn't lost there and obviously he's got a very good record here, it's good to get on over him, especially here,” he concluded.