Luke Littler, 16, thumps darts icon Raymond van Barneveld to keep world title dream alive

Luke Littler booked his place in the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship after defeating world champion Raymond van Barneveld at Alexandra Palace.

Luke Littler advanced to the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship with a 4-1 win over Raymond van Barneveld.

The 16-year-old Littler produced a stunning performance against an opponent 40 years her senior on Saturday night to claim victory over the five-time world champion. The teenager wasn’t even alive when Van Barneveld won his fifth world title in January 2007.

Littler faces Brendan Dolan, who knocked out former champions Gervin Price and Gary Anderson. Should he defeat Dolan, the teenager will face either Chris Dobey or 2018 champion Rob Cross for a place in the final.

Littler was a sensation at Alexandra Palace from the start. He shot 180 on his second visit to Oche and then shot 50 to win his first match. He then won the opening set 3–1 and briefly took a 2–0 lead, surprising Van Barneveld. The former champion threw everything at Littler in the third set and broke serve but the Runcorn boy made it 3-0. Van Barneveld eventually won the fourth set but was only 3-2 up and couldn’t help but smile after slowing Littler down. Both players averaged over 100. The flurry of darts continued after a short break as Littler fought back in the fifth set. He resisted the temptation to control 170 in the final game and played hard, holding on to throws to get over the line.