Luke Littler has reached the final of the World Matchplay after a spectacle on Saturday. The world champion threw a nine-darter in the semi-final against Josh Rock and won 17-14.
The two darters made it a brilliant match in Blackpool, England. Rock surprisingly led 5-0 after the first session, but Littler fought back.
The eighth leg was the highlight of the match. Both darters were on 141 after six darts, after which the eighteen-year-old Littler took the leg after nine darts.
Rock was ahead for a while, until Littler equalized at 9-9. The world champion then extended his lead to 14-10, but his opponent came back via impressive finishes of 170 and 120. Ultimately, Littler, who threw an average of 107.5, was the strongest and finished the match with double-16.
Littler is in the final of the World Matchplay for the first time. There, the number two in the world will face James Wade. The Englishman won earlier in the evening in a thriller with 20-18 against Jonny Clayton.
Wade wins thriller against Clayton
The 42-year-old Wade needed one leg at 16-12 to secure a place in the final. But the eight-year-older Clayton fought back to 16-16 and forced an extension.
In it, the darter who took a two-leg lead first won. Wade started the extension great with a finish of 161, but Clayton did not give up. The battle was even until 18-18. Then Wade came ahead again and finished the match with double-9.
It is the seventh time that Wade has been in the final of the World Matchplay. The previous time was in 2015, when he lost to Michael van Gerwen. He only won the ‘summer World Cup’ in 2007.
Wade was responsible for the elimination of Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals on Thursday (16-13). Van Veen was the last remaining Dutchman in the tournament. Van Gerwen lost to Rock in the second round.