Luke Littler is relishing the chance to meet Stephen Bunting and his ‘Bunting Army’ in Thursday’s semi-final clash at Alexandra Palace.
Littler continued his bid for the world darts title with a convincing 5-2 victory over Nathan Aspinall, seeing Bunting dispatch Peter Wright by the same margin.
Both players are well-supported by the Ally Pally crowd, with Bunting’s ‘Titanium’ walk and Littler’s ‘Greenlight’ track creating a buzz before each match, as the pre-tournament favorite is fully aware that not all of the crowd will support his bid. reach the second world final.
“They (the crowd) were good to me tonight,” Littler said Sky Sports After defeating Aspinall. “They’ve been good to Stefan too.
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Laughs throughout as Littler and Aspinall joke after missing nine darts in their quarter-final
“They can pick and support whoever they want. I can see a lot of Nook shirts here, so I think I’m better off.”
With Luke Humphreys suffering a shock early exit, Littler now enters the semi-finals as heavy favourites;
But the 17-year-old is feeling his best throughout the tournament and will be hoping to repeat that on Thursday night to book his place in the final again.
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Littler says he plays with absolute confidence and freedom
“Probably everyone thinks that, but anything can happen on the day, it’s the semifinals of the World Cup,” Littler said.
“Obviously Michael’s been there a lot of times, Chris’ first time, me second time and I know Bunting is in his first or second year I think, so it’s going to be a good night.
“I felt the best I have so far in this tournament, so hopefully I can regroup and come back and it can be the same feeling.
“We all know what the expectations are and it’s a lot different from last year, but I felt the best tonight and hopefully I can regroup and feel like I did on that stage tomorrow (Thursday).
“I’d probably just say I felt different against Ryan Meikle and then I went against Ian White, obviously the 3-1 lead was crucial against Ian and then the tough test against Ryan I think that was it , what I needed and then tonight I just settled in.”
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Stephen Bunting credits training partner Luke Humphreys with his improved form to reach the semi-finals after victory over Peter Wright.
Bunting demands more from the Ally Pally crowd
While Littler is ready for his opponent to have the fans on his side when they meet in their semi-final, Bunting himself was overcome by Wright’s growing support as he struggled in their quarter-final.
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Watch Bunting’s son cheer on his dad in quarter-final win over Wright
At the end of his game, Bunting praised the crowd but called for more.
“Listen (to the crowd) you were unreal in the first four sets, but you have to do better,” Bunting said. Sky Sports.
“I was thinking to myself, just try and refocus. Every game I’ve focused on that opponent, again, the crowd is unbelievable.
“Let’s go Banting Mentally!”
What’s next?
Three-time world champion Van Gerwen headlines the first of Thursday’s matches when he takes on Dobey, who is looking to reach the final for the first time, before tournament favorite Littler meets Bunting in the other semi-final.
World Darts Championship kicks off 2025 live darts on Sky Sports, including Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts.
Littler is the reigning Premier League champion after beating world No.1 Humphreys in last year’s final, but will he go into this year’s event as world champion?
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship Watch the semi-finals and final exclusively live on Sky Sports’ special darts channel. Stream darts and better sports with NOW!.
