I shocked the world when I beat Phil Taylor aged 13… now I’m back on the darts scene to take down Luke Littler

11 months ago 45

LEIGHTON BENNETT beat Phil Taylor at just 13-years-old and is now ready for a tungsten teen tearaway rivalry with Luke Littler.

Lincoln-born ‘Boom Boom’ hit the headlines in 2018 when he smashed The Power in an exhibition and was touted as the next big thing.

Prodigy Leighton Bennett has rediscovered his love for darts and is now a pro player[/caption]

Bennett beat hero Phil Taylor in an exhibition in 2018[/caption]

But the kid prodigy fell out of love with the sport before finally grabbing his ‘golden ticket’ PDC tour card a week ago.

Now he believes that his boy star battles with Littler can become the next great heavyweight clashes like Taylor vs Raymond van Barneveld.

Bennett, 18, admits: “I’d love for Luke and I to be the next big thing of darts and I genuinely believe we can be.

“I think the sport has changed dramatically over the past few years. The image has changed and it’s now more of a sport for younger people.

“It would be awesome if Luke and I become the new Taylor vs Barney sort of rivalry.

“At our ages we could seriously be winning titles for the next 30 years.

“It would be great if we drew each other at the UK Open in March on the main stage. I think that’s what the fans would want. I’d want that draw definitely.

“I’m looking forward to battling with Luke and players like Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and Rob Cross who has been a mentor for me.

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“I think I’ve played Luke 50 or 60 times. I’ve got a better record over him, only because I was a bit older probably.

“Over the past two years he has battered me more. I beat him last time though, I need to say that obviously.”

Bennett appeared in a couple of high profile exhibitions with legend Taylor and beat him in Frankfurt.

He then went on to win the BDO World Youth Championship in 2019.

But now he admits that watching Littler’s incredible run at the Ally Pally has given him extra hunger – and broke down in tears after winning at the PDC’s cut-throat Qualifying School last weekend.

He added: “I dropped to my knees and started crying. I never thought I’d be good enough to get through.

“I rang my dad on my manager’s phone. Dad started crying and it got me going. Oh my God, it’s actually happening.

“I had a rough patch. I did lose a bit of love for the sport. I’ve got back into it like mad and now winning a tour card has made me want to succeed even more than ever before.

“But Luke has taken the spotlight off me. If I did have a bad game no one was really going on about it.

“Seeing Luke at the Worlds has given me a kick up the backside and now I just want to push on and get back up there myself.

“I wanted to get back to where I knew I could be and it’s come much sooner than I thought to be honest.

“My mum and dad always pushed me on darts that it would be a wasted talent if I packed it in.

“I’ve been lucky to have people like Target Darts and Rab Bain backing me. Rab manages Rob Cross, Josh Rock and Scott Williams and him and stuck with me through the tough times.

“I’ve proved loads and loads of people wrong from years ago. They said I was just a kid and he won’t do anything in years to come.

“Here we are now and I’m actually classified as a professional darts player.”