Sports
Luke Littler, 18, branded a ‘lightweight’ as darts rival discusses youngster drinking alcohol
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has been branded a “lightweight” by fellow player Nathan Aspinall for only managing to drink four pints.
The 18-year-old world champion, who has taken the sport by storm, has apparently begun socialising more with his fellow professionals since coming of age in January.
Aspinall revealed that the young star, known as ‘The Nuke’, now ventures to the hotel bar instead of retreating to his room after matches.
Littler reportedly favours Strongbow Dark Fruits when joining his older colleagues.
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has been branded a “lightweight” by fellow player Nathan Aspinall for only managing to drink four pints
PA
“He’s coming out of his shell a bit now with the boys,” Aspinall told talkSPORT.
“He used to play his darts and go back to his room and play on his PlayStation or whatever.”
The former UK Open champion noted how Littler has changed over the past year, becoming more integrated with the sport’s established stars.
“He’s now actually coming down to the hotel bar and playing cards with us and stuff like that,” Aspinall added.
JUST IN: Travis Kelce ‘sidelining relationship with Taylor Swift’ after ‘blaming her for NFL struggles’
Nathan Aspinall believes Luke Littler ‘has grown up a lot over the past 12 months’ amid his sensational darts exploits
PA
The 33-year-old didn’t hold back when describing Littler’s drinking capacity.
“He’ll have a couple of [Strongbow] Dark Fruits. He’s a bit of a lightweight, but he’s only 18,” he said.
“He’ll have like four pints and that’s him done.”
The seasoned player also suggested Littler has matured significantly recently.
READ MORE: Luke Littler hits back at crowd in ‘uncharacteristic’ Premier League defeat – ‘He doesn’t care’
“He’s definitely grown up in the last 12 months. But I think he’s kind of had to really because of everything that’s been thrown at him.”
Littler’s form in Premier League Darts has been impressive, winning three of the previous four mini-tournaments.
Last week in Newcastle, he thrashed Luke Humphries 6-1 in the final.
However, his hot streak came to an abrupt end in Berlin during Night 9.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
The teenage sensation failed to progress beyond the first hurdle in Germany.
He was defeated by Chris Dobey in the quarter-finals, bringing his run of dominance to a temporary halt.
This setback comes after a remarkable period of success for the young world champion.
Littler’s meteoric rise has significantly boosted darts’ popularity since his breakthrough at the 2024 World Championship.
Luke Littler struggled in the Premier League on Thursday night, losing to Chris Dobey in Berlin
PA
The PDC recently announced an unprecedented increase to prize funds, with the 2026 world champion set to receive a seven-figure sum.
Total prize money across all PDC events will rise by £7m to £25m.
Littler won £500,000 when he became the youngest-ever world champion after defeating Michael van Gerwen in January.
He will now face an even bigger field of competitors if he hopes to retain his title.