Darts
World Matchplay Darts 2025: Luke Littler Responds to Gary Anderson’s ‘Boring’ Comments
Luke Littler reached his first World Matchplay semi-final with a record-breaking win over Andrew Gilding, then responded to Gary Anderson’s jibe that young players are “boring”. Littler admitted Gilding isn’t much of a talker backstage and cheekily embraced Anderson’s dig, saying, “That's what we do.”
PDC / Taylor Lanning
Reigning world champion Luke Littler kept his hopes of joining darts’ elite ‘Triple Crown’ club alive after a hard-fought 16-14 win over veteran Andrew Gilding in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Betfred World Matchplay.
The victory marks Littler’s first ever semi-final appearance at the prestigious tournament, and he did it in record-breaking style, hitting 18 180s, the most ever recorded in a World Matchplay quarterfinal.
Gilding Reunion Rekindles Ally Pally Memories
Gilding, affectionately nicknamed ‘Goldfinger’, put in a determined performance, but like their clash at the 2024 World Championships, he couldn’t quite match Littler's firepower.
Their rivalry has always been underpinned by mutual respect. Back at Alexandra Palace nearly two years ago, the pair were even pictured together in the hotel lobby before their match, a moment that reflected their friendly dynamic.
"He’s Not a Big Talker" – Littler on Gilding Relationship
That memory prompted media to ask Littler whether he still shared a friendly rapport with Gilding or if they ever practised together behind the scenes.
“I don’t think he’s a big talker Andrew,” Littler replied candidly.
Littler Responds to Anderson's "Boring" Dig
But that’s when the post-match interview took an unexpected turn.
Without being asked directly, Littler decided to fire back, albeit playfully, at comments made earlier in the week by two-time world champion Gary Anderson.
Following his first-round win over Luke Woodhouse, Anderson had hit out at the modern crop of young players, labelling them as dull and unsociable.
“The youngsters are boring, absolutely boring. You talk to them, they’re too busy looking at their phones,” Anderson said.
“They’re sitting on their phones and they’re bloody earphones and don’t talk to you. It’s a completely different life.”
While Anderson didn’t mention Littler by name, the teenage sensation clearly took notice.
“A lot of us players, we got on with our thing and like Gary Anderson said, we're boring, so that's what we do,” Littler remarked, with a sly smile.
The line may have been delivered in jest, but there was no mistaking the edge in Littler’s voice – a subtle sign that the new generation isn’t prepared to sit quietly while the old guard criticises their approach.
Louis Hobbs is the Sports Editor at SportsBoom, overseeing daily coverage across a wide range of sports while shaping the site’s editorial direction and breaking news agenda.
When he’s not editing the website from home or SportsBoom’s London office, Louis can usually be found in the darts or snooker press room. He has covered both sports extensively for SportsBoom, reporting live from venues for over three years and building strong relationships across the professional circuits.
With a background in interviews, exclusives and live event reporting, Louis combines on-the-ground insight with sharp editorial judgement to ensure SportsBoom delivers authoritative, engaging and timely sports journalism.