Nathan Aspinall claims Luke Littler 'hasn't got many mates on the tour'

01/01/2025 03:55 AM

Nathan Aspinall says Luke Littler has not got many friends on the professional darts circuit because most players are jealous of him.

Aspinall and Littler meet in the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship on Wednesday evening as both look to land the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time.

The pair have been practice partners in the past and the Asp says he sees himself in something of a big brother role for the 17-year-old superstar.

The 33-year-old says it can be a lonely place on tour for the Nuke due to many players being jealous of the fame and success he has achieved at such a young age.

The two-time major champion does not suffer from jealousy himself, though, and says he tries to help Littler out on tour, although he will be looking to do the exact opposite when they meet at Alexandra Palace on New Year’s Day.

‘I see myself, not so much of a role model, but a bit of an older brother to him in the darts world,’ said Aspinall.

‘We don't speak much outside of darts but when it comes to darts, I do try to help him. He's a nice kid.

‘He hasn't got many mates on the tour because a lot of people are jealous of him. I am not.

‘I appreciate what he has done for the game. What he has done for himself and his family. I think he's a fantastic darts player. How he has handled himself at 17 with the media.

‘I don't think many men, full-grown adults, could do what he has done. I tip my hat to the guy…but I'm still going to smash him on New Year's Day!’

Speaking at the start of the 2024 season, Aspinall explained just how impressed he was with Littler in their practice sessions, saying he has never seen the likes from anyone else.

'Luke is an absolute credit to himself and the game of darts. What he's done is absolutely ridiculous. It's a freak thing, unprecedented,' Aspinall told Metro in February.

'He's handled everything that's come with it so well. I see him more than most players on tour because we're in the same stable. I ask him how he's coping and honestly he's not even bothered, as long as he's got his phone with FIFA on, that's all he's bothered about.

'He's a great kid. He's got to keep his feet on the floor, which I think he will. He's got that arrogance on the stage, but that comes from being a winner.

'His practice sessions, when I've played with him, I tell the other lads, it's ridiculous. It's like playing level 12 on the computer. He's so good.

‘Luke Littler did things on the dartboard in my house that I've never seen anyone do. That's the God's honest truth.

'We play a game called 170. If you take 170 out you get two points, if you take it out in six darts you get one point and it's first to six. He took four 170s out in six visits to the board. I'm good on the big fish, I never lose at that game and he absolutely tore me a new one. He's amazing. A unique talent.

'He learned darts at the age kids learn to walk and talk, when your brain is like a sponge. It's second nature to him. I didn't pick a dart up until I was 17, the age that Luke is now, which is mad to think. He's the most natural dart player that there'll probably ever be.'