Luke Littler makes winning return in first match since World Darts Championship at Bahrain Masters
Littler was beaten by Luke Humphries in World Darts Championship final but won his first televised match since; Premier League Darts returns to Sky Sports on Thursday February 1 as Cardiff kicks off the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs on May 23
Friday 19 January 2024 06:14, UK
Luke Littler beat Man Lok Leung 6-3 at the Bahrain Masters in his first televised performance since his sensational run to the final at the World Darts Championship.
It was a nervy start for the teen sensation as he quickly went two legs down and struggled on the doubles but he rallied well, a brilliant 151 checkout giving him a 3-2 lead from which he capitalised.
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From there, Littler looked at home on the stage, wrapping up the match in style with a 120 checkout.
Elsewhere, reigning world champion Luke Humphries blew away Abdulla Saeed in a 6-0 drubbing as his period of complete dominance continues, a clinical performance in which he took out 100 per cent on the doubles to set up a quarter-final tie with Gerwyn Price.
Price secured a 6-4 win over Reynaldo Rivera. Despite Rivera taking out a 104 finish to keep the match alive, his miss at tops gave Price the advantage and helped him avoid a deciding leg.
Michael van Gerwen had a similarly impressive night to Humphries as he cruised to a 6-0 win over Hasan Haji with a 103 average, taking the opportunity to bounce back from his shock loss to Scott Williams in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace.
Reigning Bahrain Darts Master Michael Smith nearly came close to a huge shock exit as he won a 6-5 tussle with- Paolo Nebrida.
Nebrida had darts for the match in the deciding leg but missed his chance, gifting Smith a spot in the quarters.
Peter Wright registered a close 6-5 victory over PDC Asian Championship winner Haruki Muramatsu in the opening match of the night, battling back against a 170 checkout and from 3-2 down to take the spoils.
Fourth seed Nathan Aspinall suffered a huge scare as he sealed a 6-5 win on a 102 checkout over Lourence Ilagan.
Aspinall survived two missed match darts before completing his comeback from 5-3 down to edge out the 2023 PDC Asian Tour number one with the 12-dart leg.
Rob Cross showed his class to take a 6-3 victory over Tomoya Goto, the Japanese star taking three legs in a row to bring the match level at 3-3.
Despite the rally from Goto, Cross stood firm and took the next three legs for the win.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will be played on Friday January 19.
Premier League Darts returns to Sky Sports on Thursday, February 1 as Cardiff kicks off the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs on Thursday, May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW
