10 months ago
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LUKE LITTLER was unable to drum up more magic in the Dutch Masters final.
The teen sensation lost out to the iconic Michael van Gerwen in a repeat of last week’s Bahrain Masters final.
PDC Darts
Kelly Deckers
Michael van Gerwen was overcome with emotion after the match
PAFollow all the reaction from Luke Littler’s Dutch Darts Masters tournament in our live blog
Littler took home his first professional title in the Middle East, but MVG got his revenge tonight in the Netherlands with an 8-6 win.
There was time for some revenge for Littler himself though.
The 17-year-old saw off Luke Humphries – the man who broke his heart at Ally Pally – in the quarter-finals.
The World Championship rematch was enthralling as Littler wound up the 6-5 victor.
Littler misses out on £20,000 of prize money with his loss this time round, but will now turn his attention to the Premier League getting underway.
Although he will be happy to learn he will still pocket £10,000 for his second place finish.
Speaking after his loss, he said: “I just went leg-by-leg, hold-by-hold.
“At the end there, I had to hold. I went off with 180 and he has come back with one.
“I am thinking, just try and hold. I wired the 170 and then he gets it.
“Through the game, every hold, it was like unbelievable. I was in for a game. He said I put him under pressure. I tried to but he just wouldn’t miss.
“The crowd have been amazing. Obviously they want Michael to win, I get that. How many 140s did I hit? It’s an extra 40 points off. Respect to Michael. He finally got me at the end.
Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler shake hands after the match
Getty“Hopefully I haven’t burned myself out for the Premier League next week. I take this as match practice. It goes on to the World Series ranking. I cannot wait to go to Cardiff on Tuesday.”
Michael van Gerwen won his first ever Dutch Masters, something particularly sweet for the Dutchman who was playing in his home country.
The superstar appeared to be in tears as he was overwhelmed at the thought of a title win in front of his home crowd.
The 34-year-old was delighted with his win, but had plenty of praise for his young competitor.
He said: “This is what people like to watch. He put me under so much pressure. Everyone knows, he’s the guy who is in form.
“Luke Littler has a bright future ahead of him. We all know that. Still you want to stop him. You still have to do the right things against him That is what I did.
“His scoring power is so immense. Then you have to keep battling, keep fighting. I am glad I was able to.
“He doesn’t care about anything. He just does his own thing. I think that is a good thing. The crowd here, the PDC, the sponsors, I think they made a great tournament. And that is what I want.”
He added: “To win this trophy and against Luke Littler in front of this home crowd, it feels amazing. You have to move on in life and that’s the horrible thing. To see a crowd like this always means a lot.”
Both players will now head to Cardiff for the start of the Premier League season.
Littler earned his spot on the Premier League lineup following his superb run at the World Championships at the start of the year.
Since his heartbreaking loss he has been living the high-life.
The teen was invited down to Manchester United’s training ground to meet players and staff of the club he has supported his whole life.
And he even had some time to go head to head with Harry Maguire in a darts showdown while he was there.
He’s been sharing the limelight with girlfriend Eloise Milburn who has been by his side through his meteoric rise.
The 21-year-old also plays darts and cheered on her boyfriend at the World Championships earlier this year.
It had been rumoured that the pair met while playing video games, but Eloise cleared that up in an interview with the Guardian.
She said: “We met on the development tour in Leicester in August but became friends at the last [tournament] in Milton Keynes.”
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