Luke Littler, 17, qualifies for prestigious darts tournament as he is named to represent England
LUKE LITTLER cannot wait to wear the England jersey with pride this summer as he seeks to add the World Cup of Darts to his trophy cabinet.
And he has warned Luke Humphries, his team-mate in national colours, he is eyeing up his spot at the top of the world rankings.
By winning a maiden world darts title, Littler, 17, has risen to second place on the PDC Order of Merit with a total of £1,118,500 in prize money.
This figure does not include extra cash from when he became Premier League champion (£315,000) or won via World Series events (£150,000).
Last year, Littler had only just turned pro and was not high enough up the world list to qualify for the 40-nation World Cup – much to the surprise of casual viewers.
But this time he has been selected for England and can form an all-Luke Dream Team in Frankfurt when battle commences between June 12-15.
Englishmen Humphries, 29, and Michael Smith, 34, became World Cup champions last summer while the pairing of Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis have lifted the title on four occasions.
Littler is a proud England supporter and wore the Three Lions shirt when ex-boss Gareth Southgate’s side made the Euros 2024 final where they lost to Spain in Berlin.
He said: “Last year people didn’t know it was based off your ranking and everyone was asking: ‘Why is Luke Littler not in the World Cup?’
“I was like: ‘Because I’ve only just started my career.’
“But now, obviously the major ranking money goes on to the rankings and I think I’m pretty much in with Luke. I cannot wait.”
Humphries will still be smarting from his surprise 4-1 fourth-round exit to Peter Wright at Ally Pally, which saw him surrender his grip on the Sid Waddell Trophy.
In 2025, Cool Hand Luke will be defending a lot of money from titles won and deep tournament runs from two years ago and Littler – in his second season as a pro – is waiting to pounce.
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The Warrington lad said: “Obviously, the World No1 could be on the cards this year.
“If Luke Humphries doesn’t defend all of his prize money.
“But if he goes on to win everything this year and defends his prize money, then fair enough to Luke.”