At 4-2, he deliberately left 170 for the Big Fish – but was left with a wry smile when his opponent nailed a brilliant 148 checkout.
The tournament favourite could have sealed victory with a perfect leg but missed double 12 in leg eight before eventually stumbling over the line in the same leg after Ilagan missed tops.
In the end, Littler managed to get one over Asia’s No1 star as he marched into the last 16 of this TV darts major where he will face Mike De Decker.
Since January, the Warrington teen has celebrated four nine-darters and getting one more before the end of the year would be a record.
Littler, 17, said: “I was relaxed. I knew I had qualified.
“The important thing was to win and go three out of three in the group.
‘Sickening,’ says Wayne Mardle as Luke Littler makes frank admission after storming through Grand Slam of Darts group
“I felt dead relaxed and enjoyed that.
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“I know if I do hit another one then it’s a record.
“I know if I play well, I can feel it coming. It didn’t go then – I’ll try again next time.”
Littler added: “I did quite a lot with the crowd because I knew I was through but in the next round I’ll need to focus on the game. I’ll always get the crowd involved.
“I just thought to myself, ‘Let’s have some fun.’”
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In Group G, Gary Anderson thumped 5–2 transgender player Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who lost all three games.
But Michael van Gerwen was dumped out following a shock 5-4 defeat to Ryan Joyce.
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Littler was in a relaxed mood at the ocheCredit: Rex
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He averaged 102.05 against Lourence IlaganCredit: Rex
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The Nuke applauded the crowd as he made it three wins from threeCredit: Rex
Inside Littler’s massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.
Anthony Davis scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. He picked up his fifth foul with 3:51 remaining in the third quarter, then came back in with 6:48 left and hit a couple of pivotal baskets, including a 3-pointer with 4:51 remaining to put Los Angeles up for good at 111-108.
James was 13 of 22 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 29 points for Memphis, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.
The Lakers trailed 96-91 at the end of three quarters before starting the quarter with a 10-2 run. The lead would change hands three more times before the 3-pointer by Davis, who also had 14 rebounds.
Takeaways
Grizzlies: Memphis had seven players in double figures for the fourth straight game. Marcus Smart returned after missing six games due to ankle injury and had 14 points.
Lakers: Los Angeles is 6-0 at home for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
Key moment
Davis reached 18,000 career points with a layup at the 7:51 mark of the first quarter. He is the 80th player in NBA history to reach that milestone as well as the 12th to also have at least 7,000 rebounds and 1,500 blocks since 1973-74.
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Key stat
The Lakers made a season-high 20 3-pointers. Knecht made all five of his shots from beyond the arc.
Up next
Both teams have NBA Cup games on Friday night. The Grizzlies are at Golden State. and the Lakers travel to San Antonio.
SUSPENDED Premier League ref David Coote snorts white powder in a shocking video taken while he was officiating at this summer’s Euros.
In the eight second Whatsapp film the under-fire VAR specialist is wide-eyed as he uses a rolled up US bank note to snort a four inch line of what appears to be cocaine.
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David Coote was filmed snorting the white powder
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Coote is expected to quit as a referee before he’s sackedCredit: Reuters
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The video was filmed during Euro 2024
Coote, 42, was suspended by the PGMOL, governing body for professional referees, this week after a separate video emerged of him, again wide-eyed, calling former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp a “German c**t”.
The Sun’s exclusive new video was taken on July 6 – a day after the Euro 2024 quarter final clash between France and Portugal, where he acted as a support VAR official.
On the bedside table alongside the white powder are scattered packets of prescription drugs, a credit card, and the Terry Hayes novel The Year of The Locust.
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He sent the clip to a pal and it’s believed he filmed himself in his Uefa-funded hotel room he used during the tournament.
The ref sent another photo from Frankfurt on July 1. It showed his credit cards on a saucer either side of six chopped-up lines of suspicious white powder. He was staying in hotel rooms appointed by tournament organiser UEFA.
The pal, who wishes to remain anonymous, also reveals that the referee made other derogatory remarks about Everton football club and Liverpool player Andy Robertson.
Coote’s previous comments about Klopp are now at the centre of both a PGMOL and FA investigation into his conduct.
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As the scandal grew this week, Uefa also took him off their roster for games during this weekend’s international break.
Other videos were sent over the summer from France, where Coote officiated at three football matches at the Paris Olympics. They included the Israel versus Japan clash on July 30, where he was in charge of VAR.
His pal has told how Coote said in video chats that table toppers Liverpool “will not win the Premier League” this season.
Shocking David Coote Klopp video in full
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First man: “What did you think of the Liverpool game earlier when you were fourth official?”
Second man (allegedly Coote): “Erm Liverpool were s***.”
First man: “What did you think of Jurgen Klopp?”
Second man (allegedly Coote): “C***, absolute c***.”
First man: “Why would you say that Jurgen Klopp is a c***?”
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Second man (allegedly Coote): “Erm, aside from having a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown.
“Then, he accused me of lying and then just had a right f***ing pop at me – and I’ve got no interest in speaking to somebody whose f***ing arrogant.
“So I do my best not to speak to him. [James] Milner is alright, I get on with Milner.”
First man: “James Milner, he gets on with James Milner.”
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Second man (allegedly Coote): “You can see me there with mask on.”
First man: “Mask on, obviously.”
Second man (allegedly Coote): “Yea Covid, got to be done. Social distancing right? We’re two meters apart.”
First man: “We have to social distance.”
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Second man (allegedly Coote): “Yep, so but [exhales] my God. German c***, f*** me.”
First man: “Long story short, Jurgen Klopp’s a c***, Liverpool are all f***ing b******s, we hate Scousers.”
Second video
Second man (allegedly Coote): “Right just to be clear, that f***ing last video cant go anywhere, seriously.”
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First man: He’s a Premier League referee, let’s not f***ing ruin his career.
“Like let’s face we’re good blokes but we can’t ruin a bloke’s career. We’re not that bad. Also he’s a f***ing legend.”
Second man (allegedly Coote): “So, yeah.”
First man: “So lets not ruin his career.”
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Coote also branded Goodison Park – the ground of Liverpool’s rivals Everton – as the worst place to referee due to the fans “shouting abuse so close to the pitch”.
He hates officiating at Bournemouth games because it’s “too far away” and moaned he was “too big” to have to ref at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena for their Championship clash against Oxford United on August 16.
The pal is speaking out to highlight Coote apparently bragging of taking drugs repeatedly during tournaments and big Prem matches.
They told The Sun: “I believe that the FA and the governing body of the referees have to make sure that the sport we all love is protected and being officiated by the right people. My message to David Coote is…there’s help out there.”
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The pal added: “The video of him bad-mouthing Klopp didn’t surprise me at all.
“He said to me Liverpool would definitely not win the Premier League. It just makes me question the kind of people running the Prem. He also described Andy Robertson as a ‘Scottish prick’.
“He did say that the worst place to referee was Goodison Park due to the young Scousers screaming, shouting, swearing at him and calling every name under the sun before the games had even started. And he mentioned he hated going to Bournemouth because it was just such a long way away.
“He did mention about Coventry City versus Oxford United on a Friday night on Sky Sports. He couldn’t really be a**** with this game…the fact that he had to go and referee in front of an empty Ricoh Arena. He said ‘I’m a bit too big for this’.”
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A PGMOL spokesperson told The Sun: “We aware of the allegations and are taking them very seriously. David Coote remains suspended pending a full investigation.
“David’s welfare continues to be of utmost importance to us and we are committed to providing him with the ongoing necessary support he needs through this period.
“We are not in a position to comment further at this stage.”
Coote was suspended by PGMOL bosses earlier this week after a leaked video showed the ref abusing Liverpool and their ex manager Jurgen Klopp.
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The footage was said to have been taken during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An investigation is now taking place and the FA are also initiating their own probe, as Coote could be charged with an aggravated breach of FA rules after mentioning Klopp’s nationality in the initial leaked video.
Outside of England, UEFA has also taken action against the Prem ref by removing him from their list of officials for the upcoming international fixtures.
If Coote decides to quit, or is sacked, he is set to lose over £1m over the next few years.
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Referee David Coote was caught in an earlier video labelling ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp a ‘German c***’Credit: X
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Coote unleashed an astonishing rant at ex-Liverpool boss KloppCredit: AP
Gary Lineker has stepped down as co-presenter of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year, following the news that he will leave Match of the Day, the corporation has confirmed.
The annual ceremony recognises the UK-based sportsperson who has had the year’s most notable achievements – chosen by a public vote.
A BBC spokesperson said on Wednesday: “After 23 years, last year’s 70th anniversary was his final show.”
Lineker’s final appearance saw him present alongside Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, with England goalkeeper Mary Earps crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023.
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Lineker’s decision to step back comes a day after it was confirmed that he will stop hosting the BBC’s long-running football highlights show Match of the Day at the end of the current season.
However, the 63-year-old has signed a contract extension with the BBC through to the 2026 men’s World Cup, and will also front the corporation’s coverage of next season’s FA Cup.
The former England striker-turned-broadcaster will also continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast, and his popular The Rest is Football podcast will now be hosted on BBC Sounds.
The podcast features Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards discussing the latest football news along with stories from their careers, and is part of Goalhanger productions, co-founded by Lineker.
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In a statement on Tuesday, Lineker said: “I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.”
After three rounds of Rapid play on the opening day of the sixth Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz tournament at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata, Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov led the Open category standings with 2.5 points.
In the first round, Nodirbek drew with Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov. He later went on to win against German grandmaster Vincent Keymer and young Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa to grab two points.
Meanwhile, five times world champion Magnus Carlsen, the star attraction of this year’s tournament, had an underwhelming start, drawing his first two rounds. He played his opening game against Praggnanandhaa before a houseful crowd at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium.
Carlsen, in fact, faced Indian grandmasters in all of his three rounds on Wednesday. He drew with Nihal Sarin in the second round before winning his last round of the day against Vidit Gujrathi.
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At fifth in the standings, Sarin ended the day as the highest-ranked Indian. He drew all his matches. Other than Carlsen, he also shared points with fellow Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigiasi and Dubov.
In the Women category, Russian grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina took the top spot after three rounds of Rapid play on the first day. She is followed by grandmaster Kateryna Lagno from her country and Indian grandmaster Vantika Agrawal, with all three holding a similar score of 2 points.
There will be a total of nine Rapid rounds in both the Open and Women’s categories. The final six rounds are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, with three rounds each day. The tournament will conclude with Blitz rounds on November 16 and 17.
Scotland’s concluding Nations League matches against Croatia and Poland will again to be broadcast on YouTube, rather than on television.
Scandinavian broadcaster Viaplay owns the rights to show the games but announced in June 2023 it is scaling back its operations in the UK.
The company will still produce coverage of the matches, but they will be shown on the Scottish FA’s YouTube channel dedicated to the national side.
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It follows the same arrangement as the matches in October with the loss to Croatia and draw with Portugal attracting more than 1.5m views combined on YouTube.
Steve Clarke’s side host Croatia at Hampden on Friday before finishing their campaign away to Poland on Monday (both 19:45 GMT).
As well as the Scotland men’s matches, Viaplay held the rights to show the Scottish League Cup and the United Rugby Championship when it announced it would end all coverage of UK sports.
The media group then sold its UK sporting division back to Premier Sports earlier this year.
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The deal included its share of the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup, but did not include the rights to Uefa’s international competitions.
A deal was struck between Viaplay and ITV to show September’s matches against Poland and Portugal on the broadcaster’s ITVX platform, with BBC Scotland also in discussions to broadcast those matches.
However, Viaplay elected not to subcontract the rights for the rest of the campaign.
GREECE hero Nikos Dabizas revealed a funny conversation he had with England legend David Beckham after his iconic free-kick in 2001.
Beckham led the Three Lions to the 2002 World Cup with a stunning last-gasp strike which sealed a 2-2 draw against the Greeks in the 93rd minute.
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Nikos Dabizas had a funny chat with David Beckham after his iconic free-kick for EnglandCredit: Allsport – Getty
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Dabizas issued a tongue-in-cheek statement to BeckhamCredit: Getty
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Dabizas tackles Emile Heskey in the 2001 qualifier
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Beckham led England to the 2002 World Cup with his legendary strikeCredit: Bongarts – Getty
Greece were 2-1 up at Old Trafford thanks to goals by Angelos Charisteas and Demis Nikolaidis, either side of a Teddy Sheringham equaliser, which were set to condemn Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side to a tricky play-off with Ukraine.
But up stepped Becks for a final set-piece, 25 yards out of Antonis Nikopolidis’ goal.
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He curled an impossible effort that caught the goalkeeper by surprise and sent England straight to the finals in Japan and South Korea.
Dabizas, 51, started that match and never forgot the Manchester United legend’s stunner that denied his team their first ever win over the English.
The Newcastle hero caught up with Beckham soon after in the Premier League for some belated post-match banter.
Dabizas told SunSport: “Yes, after the game – if I remember correctly – possibly later in a match against Manchester United. Relatively very soon. I messed with him, [I told him] ‘You got yourselves out of jail’.
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“And he smiled. “[He laughed] It wasn’t a specific answer. [He’s] An absolutely normal guy.”
But Dabizas always knew how special that “unimaginably good” free-kick was for both England and Beckham’s career.
And the ex-Leicester ace has fond memories of that match in Manchester as it marked the beginning of Greece’s journey to their historic Euro 2004 triumph under Otto Rehhagel.
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Dabizas added: “I think he had an excellent performance in the game against us in 2001. It was a landmark match for his career and it was the first strong sign we gave as a team with Mr Rehhagel for what was to follow as we were very competitive in the qualifiers.
Premier League icon Nikos Dabizas names surprise EFL star who could be key to shutting down Jude Bellingham in England vs Greece
“We convinced ourselves that we can stand in front of very high-level teams because that England national team had a lot of talent. And the team that went to Portugal in 2004 had a lot of talent despite having some issues then in English football.
“Especially when they couldn’t capitalise on the characteristics they had as a team. They didn’t do that. They didn’t have the success they were capable of.
“Beckham was certainly a footballer who had tremendous appeal in set-pieces. His hits were unimaginably good. One of the best in the world [in terms of] the way he hit the ball and the trajectory the ball took.
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“I believe it was a very special motion process. If anyone looks how he hit the ball will be able to understand that specialty that we mentioned.
“It was the last stages of the match, there was a lot of pressure, we were ahead, we were playing if I remember correctly with three central defenders. That’s when that whole story started with Mr Rehhagel trusting the system of three central defenders more.
“But I believe it was unavoidable with that part the game was on, when you have such an elite level footballer being able to get the ball either over the wall or the goalkeeper’s tight corner then I believe the difficulty level is very big.
“And it had that result that it had in the last stages of the match. And England qualified with that draw to the World Cup.”
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Greece finally got their first ever win over England last month at their tenth time of asking after seven losses.
Dabizas watched Ivan Jovanovic’s men win 2-1 as a pundit at Wembley and will hope for a repeat tonight in Athens.
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