Defending champ Luke Littler had to contend with idiotic whistlers as he made a winning return to top-class action.
The Nuke had to battle to make the last eight of the Bahrain Darts Masters after a hard-fought 6-3 win over Lourence Ilagan. Despite mocking himself after an opening throw of 26 in leg seven, Littler, playing his first game since winning the World title at Ally Pally, was able to dispose of the Philippines star.
But referee Russ Bray had to call for order on at lest three occasions during the first-part of the contest due to irritating crowd behaviour. Bray’s ire came about after loud and sharp whistles were heard as Littler and Ilagan prepared to throw darts during the early and mid-stages of the game. The issue was resolved in the latter part of the clash as the teenager managed to see-off his rival with a late surge clinching his quarter-final meeting with Gerwyn Price.
The 2024 Bahrain winner said: “It would mean the absolute world to come back and retain it as the World Champion. I’ve already kicked off 2025 the best it can get, but to win two tournaments this month would mean the world.”
World No.1 Luke Humphries was supremely impressive as he hammered local star Abulla Saeed in blistering fashion. Cool Hand recovered from losing his crown at the Ally Pally to Littler with a sizzling first outing of 2025. Humphries didn’t miss a single dart at double with three ton-plus finishes in an 11-minute slaughtering of Saeed.
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