Luke Littler has finally addressed the accusations that dogged him during virtual lockdown darts competitions.
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The 17-year-old, who stunned the world with a shock run to the World Darts Championship final, says the controversy was just part of his rapid rise.
Before Covid, Littler was a relative unknown in darts, despite winning the England Youth Grand Prix and the Isle of Man Masters youth titles in 2019. Lockdown changed everything. Suddenly, the teen was competing online in senior competitions—and that’s when the cheating claims started.
Confined at home, Littler would log hours of practice via the mobile app Scolia. “I was doing four, five hours a day, every day. I had nothing else to do,” he told The Times.
He explained that local competitions moved online during the pandemic. “You paid your tenner to enter. I won, and a few people said I was cheating,” he said, recalling the backlash.
Even when asked to ‘prove it’ once in-person events resumed, Littler delivered. In 2021, he captured his first senior title at the Irish Open, silencing doubters.
“All of the people, out from their kitchens and bedrooms, into the pub and the darting world. And I proved it, didn’t I? I don’t get why I would cheat. If you’re that good, you don’t really need to.”