Luke Littler’s World Darts Championship debut captured the attention of an entire nation and sports fans everywhere but we have to admit, we didn’t envisage this fairytale ending with him falling at the final hurdle and having HMRC come along to sweep up nearly half of his winnings.
The teenage darting sensation took home a whopping £200,000 in prize money following his progression all the way to the 2024 PDC World Final but, as is the nature of the income tax here in Britain, that ridiculous amount of money is set to be reduced by almost half.
Sky News reported on Littler’s earnings in his first big senior competition as part of their new live-feed Money Blog on Thursday, 4 January, detailing how the taxman is about to put an £83,000 dent in the runner-up’s impressive prize fund.
Then, less than a couple of hours later, HMRC chimed in with a swift and amusing reminder that his earnings will of course be taxed, leaving plenty annoyed in the comments below.
Big congrats to Luke on his fantastic run to the final. We can confirm the existence of income tax. https://t.co/mT9imXtrX8
Turns out, the tax office has a sense of humour, apparently — and it’s very dry.
Investment platform Saxo estimated that Littler will have to part ways with an estimated £76,203 of his winnings, as well as £7,330 going to national insurance, working out to just over £83k in total.
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This means that all things considered, the 16-year-old will lose around 45% of his winnings but will still walk away with more than £116k. Nevertheless, plenty online have labelled the post everything from “unnecessary” and “brutal” to simply “inappropriate”.
We’re sure he’ll get over it, but plenty of fans were gutted on his behalf, with one person writing, “It’s really something when your government feels comfortable smugly bragging about how they fuck you over”, and countless others just adding calling them “thieves”.
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After all, it’s still more than any teenager would even know what to do with — as proven by the Warrington lad himself when he was asked what he might do with the money.
Luckily, with the sheer talent Luke Littler clearly possesses, not to mention seemingly having his head screwed on even at such a young age, we’re sure he’ll be adding plenty more zeros to those earnings as the years go on — so much so he’ll probably forget who HMRC even is.
Get yourself something sick, a few kebabs here and there, then stick the rest in your savings, mate.
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The latest news following his blockbuster final against the newly crowned champions Luke ‘Cool Hand’ Humphries – his first ever PDC World title – is that Sky is now going to be airing a three-part docuseries later this year, giving fans and newcomers a fly-on-the-wall look into the world of darts.
Manchester Storm’s ‘own and loan’ scheme returns for 2026/27
Danny Jones
Manchester Storm have relaunched their much-loved ‘own and loan’ programme once again ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Having gone from a cult favourite option for die-hards to an increasingly popular choice among their growing number of supporters, it’s a great way for fans to get their hands on what could go on to be priceless collectables.
Set up over a decade and a half ago, the initiative has gone on to be replicated by multiple clubs in the Elite Ice Hockey League, across the country, and indeed beyond.
For anyone unclear on what exactly this scheme means for them, here’s all you need to know.
The own and loan sponsorship is essentially an opportunity not only to support the club and your favourite player, but to essentially reserve a valuable piece of match-worn memorabilia.
Put simply, fans can buy a squad member’s jersey and then loan it back to them for the season.
The shirt – be it home, away, created for cup tournaments or a special limited-edition sweater (of which MCR Storm have designed many over the years) – will then be worn throughout the course of the campaign before being given back to the owner, i.e. you.
Not just simply buying the shirt, but helping back the team’s talent, it’s one of the most direct ways people can contribute to the club.
The Greater Manchester side pioneered the push for this initiative here in the UK in the early 2010s, and with the local side now set to return to the AO Arena, where their journey began way back in 1995, you can expect plenty to mark the comeback with a special sponsored jersey.
Anyone who purchases an away strip will have their name featured throughout home games for the duration of the season – not a bad gift or way to secure a potential future collectors’ item.
You can see every player available to sponsor and find out all the information you need right HERE.
For regular matchgoers at the ‘Storm Shelter’, we’re sure it’ll be bittersweet to say goodbye to Planet Ice Altrincham, but just how excited are you about heading home to the AO Arena later this year?
Featured Images — Manchester Storm (publicity picture)/The Manc Group
Sport
League One set for an all-Greater Manchester playoff final as Bolton book trip to Wembley
Danny Jones
It’s official: we’re all set for a fully Greater Manchester League One playoff final as Bolton Wanderers are the latest to secure a return to Wembley against Stockport County.
The resurgent old Lancashire club clinched their spot in the knockout conclusion of the third division with a single strike in the second leg of the semis, and it wasn’t a bad finish, either.
Beating Bradford City 2-0 on aggregate, Bolton will now play familiar regional rivals Stockport, with Wanderers set to clash with County in a decisive derby once again.
Bolton‘s instinctive volley from Chelsea youth product and former Hull City man, Xavier Simons, resulted in some very satisfying limbs at Valley Parade.
The home fans did have plenty to cheer on the night, with efforts from Metcalfe, Power and Wright all either hitting the woodwork or being deflected just past it.
They thought they were level in the tie at one point after Kayden Jackson put the ball in the back of the net, but it was ultimately ruled out.
Agonising stuff for the Bradford supporters to burst into bedlam before the flag was raised for offside.
Many supporters will argue that the key moment came somewhat against the run of play, but The Trotters won’t care one bit as they book another trip down to the capital.
You can watch the rest of the highlights, including those scenes in the away end, down below.
Speaking even before the game, head coach Steven Schumacher told Sky Sports: “It’s a club we believe is bigger than this division, but this division is not easy to get out of.
“The expectation and the demand to get to the Championship is there, and once you’re in the building and you feel the mood when you win games, when you lose games, you can sense that this is a club that is desperate to get out and get to the next level.
“When you look at the size of both Bolton and Bradford and how well they are supported, both clubs are probably too big to be in League One. But that’s where both clubs find themselves, and one of us has got to find our way out of it if we can.”
You’d dare say he can practically smell promotion via the playoffs now; the local side has come quite a way since the lows of administration in 2019 and the bottom tier of the EFL – not without some heartbreaks in previous playoff finals – but could he be the one to get them back where they belong?
In case you missed the action from the other game, you can see more HERE, and to hear Schumacher’s thoughts after the decisive result, look no further…
Danny Jones -
5th January 2024 
