Luke Littler has said he will not touch darts until the Premier League resumes in Newcastle next week after his break gave him the opportunity to produce a stunning nine-dart performance in Cardiff.
Littler put his game on display on Thursday with a third Premier League win, beating Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in a repeat of their world title final clash in January.
The world champion hit 10 180s and averaged 112.50 for the match – all after Littler took a break from training to “relax.”
“I haven't seen many Premier League players training at home,” said Littler, who extended his overall lead to six points.
“I assume everyone from the Premier League will be going on the Eurotour this weekend but I've decided to opt out of that.
“I've decided not to go and it's just another week of rest. I'll have another week of relaxation and see how the darts fly in Newcastle.”
Littler won a set of custom-made 18-carat gold darts worth around £30,000 for his third nine-darter of the Premier League season.
Two weeks ago in Brighton, Luke Humphreys and Rob Cross received their golden darts.
Littler heads to Tyneside – midway through the 16-week regular season – with a commanding lead over second-placed Humphries and his place in May's play-offs all but assured.
World number one Humphries has suffered three successive quarter-final defeats but Littler is taking nothing for granted as he defends his Premier League title.
He said: “I can't say the situation has changed because there are still nine weeks left.
“Luke can still win night matches, so I have to try and improve my results.”
In a radio interview this week, Humphreys suggested the 2026 world champion would receive a record prize of £1million, double the amount Littler received at Alexandra Palace two months ago.
“I haven't been told anything,” Littler said. “But obviously this has been discussed for years.
“It has been £500,000 for a long time, but I think this is the next big step for us as players.
“Obviously, whoever wins will immediately take first place.
“So whether it's this year or next year, I'm 99.9 percent sure it's going to happen.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
