DARTS fans will cheer on Luke Littler's World Championship final at St Helens Darts Academy tonight as the country zones in on the 16-year-old and his former club.
After beating former world champions and becoming the youngest-ever World Championship finalist at age 16, Luke Littler has quickly become a household name for sports fans across the country.
Defeating Christian Kist, Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan, and Rob Cross on his way to the final, the Runcorn-born darts star will take on Luke Humphries in the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace tonight (Wednesday, January 3).
To mark Littler's achievement, the darts club that helped to train him has invited fans to watch the final at St Helens Darts Academy, inside Sidac Social Club, on Wheatsheaf Avenue in Sutton Leach.
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With Warrington-based Littler playing just four senior matches before the World Championship, he has made history as he has sailed through each round of the tournament.
Achieving such success at such a young age has drawn national attention to the 16-year-old and St Helens Darts Academy, where the darts player first presented himself aged 9 and where he quickly began playing against much older competitors.
As national TV and radio outlets have all wanted a piece of Luke and the Academy this week, former coach Karl Holden joked that he has "created a monster" as he has put the club on a "worldwide scale".
Speaking to BBC 5 Live after Luke's semi-final win last night, Karl said: "I've been watching darts for decades and there are patterns with it, so when Rob Cross was averaging 140/150, you'd think Luke Littler isn't going to win from there.
"But he started off too good, and when you do things like that, there's only one way, which is down hill a little bit, and Luke jumped all over that."
Speaking further about Luke's talent, Karl added: "We all spotted that he was unique but he's just continued every year to get better.
"He's done something no player in the history of darts has done and I'm beyond proud to be half a percentage and play a part [in his story].
"But it's down to him, his ability, and his sheer will to win and he's got that in abundance."
While St Helens Darts Academy has trained players like Littler, Michael Smith, Dave Chisnall, and Stephen Bunting, there have been more than a thousand players who have come through their doors over the years to hone their craft.
It's the dedication of people like Karl and committee members who support these players every week, and as the eyes of the country look at Littler, local darts fans can come together in St Helens Darts Academy to (potentially) watch history in the making.
The Wheatsheaf Avenue sports club will be open from 5pm for people to get involved in the darts before the world final at 7.30pm.
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