Luke Littler is at it again as he rounded off a blockbuster weekend of sport with a star showing of his own, winning not only his second senior title but his first European trophy, and on his debut.
He’s an absolute machine and yes, he’s still only 17.
The teenager played four nights in a row to make it to the final of the Belgian Darts Open title, his first PDC event in Europe, meeting Rob Cross in the last round and going on to beat him 8-7 in a truly thrilling final which featured numerous impressive checkouts — none better so than a superb nine-darter.
Hitting a record number of 180s for the European Tour not only in the match itself but throughout the tournament, notching a whopping 30 maximums all told, he was a crowd-pleaser from the start but the big moments didn’t get any bigger than this:
LITTLER HITS A NINE-DARTER! ☢️🔥
LUKE LITTLER HAS STRUCK PERFECTION IN THE FINAL!
It's yet more history from The Nuke as he pins a perfect leg in the final of his Euro Tour debut!
Luke Littler’s nine-darter at the Oktoberhallen in Wieze sends the Belgian crowd berserk. Just look at the reaction.
As you can tell from Cross’ extremely congratulatory response when the final dart goes in, graceful in defeat as always, there was nothing but admiration for this young man’s talent and immense calm no matter how big the stage.
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You could see how chuffed the Warrington-born teenager was to meet the expectations of the crowd in the decisive leg too, putting on the kind of show European darts fans will no doubt have been hoping for from him, especially after seeing what he did at the World Championships and the Bahrain Masters.
It wasn’t all so warm and welcoming in Belgium though, as his Littler’s semi-final opponent Ricardo Pietreczko (a.k.a. ‘Pikachu’) had some choice words for him as they went in for a parting handshake, with the German labelling the young darting superstar “arrogant” in a frustrated Instagram post afterwards.
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Bemused by the on-stage square-up more than anything, it didn’t seem to bother him too much as he promptly went to fist-pump his 7-3 win in front of the crowd on the night and, thankfully, he had plenty of supporters when it came to the final. Here’s how he sealed the victory:
🏆 LUKE LITTLER IS THE CHAMPION IN WIEZE! ☢️
HE. HAS. DONE. IT.
It's yet another astonishing chapter in the career of the 17-year-old sensation Luke Littler as he wins the title on his Euro Tour debut!
Next up for Luke Littler is night seven in the Premier League of Darts over at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena on Thursday, 14 March, where we’re sure he’ll be riding a wave of confidence fresh from his second title since stepping up to the big leagues after what still feels like just five minutes ago.
If you don’t yet believe that Luke ‘The Nuke’ is going to be/is already well on his way to becoming the real deal, we don’t know what to tell you.
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Just watch how cool, composed and utterly clinical he is up on the oche this season — his first full one, let us remind you — and maybe you’ll start to believe the hype.
He’s also fast become one of our favourite sporting personalities overall and is clearly embracing that side of things and his obvious popularity. For instance, he’s already starring in cereal adverts – as you do.
Super League ‘Rivals Round’ fixtures confirmed, with two big North West clashes
Danny Jones
The Betfred Super League (BSL) ‘Rivals Round’ games for 2026 have been confirmed, with two big regional clashes coming in time for the spring.
Returning for 2026, the annual meeting of multiple teams coming up against their fiercest and most historic rivals will land on round seven of the calendar over the traditional Easter weekend.
Despite the competition having sadly lost Salford Red Devils following their forced relegation, local rugby fans will still be glad to see the borough of Wigan, as well as neighbouring Cheshire and nearby Merseyside clubs, coming up against each other in what is a highly anticipated fixture on the calendar.
Announcing the now fully confirmed matches this week, the total of seven matches are set to be played between Friday, 3 April and the following Sunday, 5 April.
In the Super League’s own words, there are few gameweeks more box office than the Rivals Round – “where the games mean more, hit harder and have the ability to divide towns and families.”
After the inaugural edition of the modern round in 2021, this year saw the division record a best-ever attendance of 86,080 across a six-match period, and with an extra game being played next season, we’re expecting more ground to be broken.
“The most intense and historic rivalries will go head-to-head with huge crowds anticipated, emotions running high and everyone expected to bring their A game”, say the BSL.
Huddersfield Giants v York Knights – Saturday, 4 April
Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity – Sunday, 5 April
One of the most notable exclusions among the slate, of course, is that of Salford Red Devils, as various players and staff members continue to leave the club during this increasingly concerning and deep period of uncertainty.
Salford supporters have given a clear response following the decisive drop in IMG gradings:
Although they are now longer in rugby league’s premier domestic tier, Salford are still expected to take part in the Challenge Cup tournament, which begins in January.
Betfred and the RFL revealed the most recent ties on Monday, 24 November, with the Devils due to face either Royal Navy Rugby or Hammersmith Hills Hoists in the second round.
Meanwhile, with the new campaign kicking off in February, rugby fans will only have to wait a couple of months to witness the upcoming instalments in the various rivalries.
Safe to say it’s going to be a spicy Easter break.
Pep Guardiola admits heavily rotated squad was ‘too much’ after landmark home loss
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola has conceded that his heavily rotated side, which saw almost an entirely different team from the previous matchday squad, may have been “too many changes” as Manchester City suffered their first home loss in the Champions League group stages in more than seven years.
Man City suffered a 2-0 defeat whilst hosting Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad Stadium – a place that has been largely a fortress in European fixtures since the Catalan coach arrived – but the biggest headline on the night was the whopping 10 personnel changes Guardiola made to his starting XI.
It has been argued that Pep has become overly reliant on star striker Erling Haaland (who has already scored 19 goals in the Premier League and UCL combined this season), and the virtually ‘start-from-scratch’ outfit he fielded on Tuesday night definitely didn’t do him any favours.
Speaking to various media in post-match interviews and the press conference after the game, Pep admitted that his wholesale rotation gamble may have been “too much.”
"Maybe it was too much…"
Pep Guardiola reflected on Man City's home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen after making 10 changes 🔁 pic.twitter.com/WBZHwl3ZOb
Considering the only continuity between the batch that faced Leverkusen and the previous squad that narrowly lost to Newcastle United was the still relatively new CDM, Nico González, we think he might be on to something.
In fact, as if the conviction behind the decision wasn’t already questionable enough, Pep insisted before the game that he would have made more if he could, but with fellow central midfielder talisman Rodri still injured, the number 14 was the sole teammate who remained from the weekend.
There are always going to be lapses in sharpness and fluidity when a lineup is shuffled, but it’s fair to say that it’s almost guaranteed when you remove every individual bar one.
Perhaps this was a somewhat covert/loaded attempt to shine a light again on previously mentioned complaints regarding squad depth in relation to the increasingly congested fixture list, with both Guardiola and the aforementioned Euro 2020 winner having flagged their concerns about the calendar.
This is also the second time in just a matter of days that the 54-year-old has held his hands up and taken accountability for making “huge mistakes”.
Not only was it City’s first Champions League loss of the season, but as mentioned, the first and at home in the competition’s initial stages in more than half a decade.
It’s quite a record that Pep has clung onto, which should get plenty of recognition in its own right, but supporters will nevertheless be hoping to get back to winning ways soon and avoid stringing together any more consecutive losses.
Last November was the first time Guardiola had ever lost four matches in a row during his entire career, and with a trio of very winnable fixtures coming up in the league, we would bank on a big reaction in the next game against Leeds.
If you missed the game, you can watch the highlights from Man City vs Bayer Leverkusen down below.
Danny Jones -
11th March 2024 
