Showman Scott Williams insists he’ll keep being “a t*t” on stage tonight. And the colourful Englishman says he wants to cash in on the stunning riches Luke Littler is bringing to the game.
Williams, who faces pal Rob Cross tonight, reached the World Championship semi-finals last year with some brilliant play and was also a character with bravado. He struggles on the Pro Tour, but under the TV lights, the act comes to life and he said: “It’s a real tough one because the floor stuff’s so boring. You’ve got to behave yourself.
“You’re not allowed to swear and I love swearing. You can’t be yourself sometimes. What you see up there on the stage is the real me. I’m not just putting a show on. That’s genuinely who I am. I’m an absolute t*t. I’m still new to all this, so I’m trying my hardest to know how to react in the right way, how to react on the stage, off the stage, in the right game.
“Do I give it some? I don’t know. So, I’m kind of learning, but I’m not going to stop being a bit of a t*t. I’m there to give the crowd what they’ve paid for.
“They’re here to have a good time. They’re here to see silly stuff. They’re here to see great stuff. They’re here to see anything that you can involve the crowd in. They’re here for it. So, I’ll carry on doing that.”
Williams knows hitting the top levels will see his status and bank balance explode, especially after seeing Luke Littler send darts popularity into orbit. He said: “We know how big the sport’s going to get over the next three to five years, especially with the sponsorship as well as the interest.
“I spoke to so many people over the last couple of weeks, potential sponsors for myself, going: We love darts, we didn’t really follow it 12 months ago and then all of a sudden it’s got big.
“That’s because that little 16, 17-year-old lad’s just blown it up for us, which is awesome, and we absolutely love that. No one on this stage will tell you differently and we love it.
“It’s all about looking at the bigger picture. People are going to go: Holy crap, there’s money in this.
“So we know what’s coming over the next few years, we’re getting ready for it and we do need to take it seriously, all of us, no matter how good you are.”
Williams also stripped away his bravado in last year’s semi-final when he lost his strut in losing to Luke Humphries. Manager Rab Bain is making sure he doesn’t do the same again as Williams explained: “It’s gloves off and we’re there to win. We’re there to take money off each other. It’s our job.
“I did the same with Luke [Humphries] last year. I was far too respectful.
“I absolutely love Luke, I love Rob. There’s so many players on the tour that you get so much respect for, but you just have to get on with it.
“I’m still new to all this, so I’m trying my hardest to know how to react in the right way. Do I give it some? I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes, but I won’t be as respectful to Rob as I was two years ago.”