Littler’s Historic Defence Rewrites the Record Books
Luke Littler has successfully defended his World Matchplay title, concluding a week of unprecedented dominance at the Winter Gardens with an 18-9 victory over Gerwyn Price in the final. The world champion produced one of the greatest tournament showings in the sport’s history, capped by a final average of 111.53 that left his opponent with few answers.
The performance saw Littler set a new tournament average record of 111.04, comprehensively breaking the previous benchmark set by Phil Taylor. The sixteen-time world champion’s average of 106.31 from his 2010 triumph had stood for over a decade as a seemingly untouchable figure, but has now been emphatically surpassed. Littler’s relentless scoring in the final included six ton-plus checkouts, starting with a 167, and saw almost half of his winning legs completed in 12 darts or fewer.
Gerwyn Price played his part in a high-quality final, averaging 104.92 himself. It marked the Welshman’s first appearance in a major televised ranking final since October 2023, and he reached the decider with impressive wins over Martin Schindler, Rob Cross, Ross Smith and Gian van Veen. Despite the heavy defeat, Price was full of praise for Littler afterwards, acknowledging the champion’s superiority on the night. The world number one entered the tournament as the huge favourite, a status he justified by averaging over 109 in every single match en route to lifting the Phil Taylor Trophy.
The outcome was seldom in doubt for a player who, throughout the week, had proven why he was the man to beat. His path to the final included victories against Niko Springer, Nathan Aspinall, Josh Rock and Dirk van Duijvenbode, with his form making him a popular choice on even the most cautious darts betting guide.
Greaves Reclaims Women’s World Matchplay Title
The final day in Blackpool also saw the conclusion of the Women’s World Matchplay, where Beau Greaves reclaimed the title in a dramatic final against Fallon Sherrock. In what was described as a last-leg thriller, Greaves found the winning darts when it mattered most to seal the victory. The result marks a second consecutive year that Sherrock has had to settle for the runner-up position at the Winter Gardens.
