Sport

The stats behind World Darts Champion Luke Littler’s brilliant year (and a bit) are quite staggering

It's fair to say you'll being hearing Luke Littler and world titles in the same sentence for a long time.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 4th January 2025

Yes, he’s done it: the still-teenaged Luke Littler is officially a World Darts Champion and although we all saw it coming, the stats behind his meteoric rise are, frankly, ridiculous.

As if becoming the youngest-ever player to ever win the 2025 PDC World Darts Championships at just 17 wasn’t impressive enough, his pathway, previous victories and numerous accolades leading up to this point really put things into perspective.

Oddly enough, he almost seemed destined to get his hands on the trophy the moment he fell just short in last year’s final against current world number one Luke Humphries.

Here are the numbers to prove it:

As put together by Sporting Life journalist Chris Hammer, when the already long list of achievements in just his first year and a bit as a professional on the senior circuit is laid out in front of you like that, it really does feel like it was always going to happen, doesn’t it?

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But this doesn’t even quite tell the full story.

Even before he won his first PDC title on the pro tour at the Bahrain Masters back in January, the Warrington-born teen had already won the senior Irish Open back in 2021 when he was just 14. Let us repeat that: 14 years old.

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Going back even further, he’s been dominating the youth circuit for some time too – most notably becoming the first player in JDC (Junior Darts Corporation) history to win back-to-back World Championship titles in 2022 and ’23.

The trend of consecutive successes has only increased as time has gone on and now the youngster has won a trio of darts majors with a Grand Slam, World Series and Premier League title, not to mention two Masters tournaments and a pair of PDC Opens, winning the rest feels like a mere certainty.

The consistency behind his stats and level of averages alone are rather frightening and as the cherry on top of the Sid Waddell Trophy, Luke Littler also won the win the Ballon D’Art trophy after hitting 79 maximums – though Michael Smith does still hold the record for most 180s in a tournament (83).

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Not to play on anyone’s inferiority complex here or force them to look back at what they were up to at his age either but, as detailed above, Littler‘s first-place prize of £500,000 has just seen him rack up more than £1.5 million in total earnings over the past 13 months since his pro debut.

But it doesn’t stop there…

As per The Telegraph, top players in the sport typically earn around £350,000 a year in shirt sales and other merchandising opportunities; he also stands to earn even more away from the board than he already does from personal dart sets once he turns 18 and betting sponsors inevitably come knocking.

With no exaggeration whatsoever, Littler’s stats haven’t just seen him win a lot of titles and money in a relatively short space of time but he’s helped kick off a whole new generation-spanning darting renaissance and love for the arrows.

You can watch the highlights from Luke Littler’s World Darts Championship win over veteran and fellow serial winner, Michael van Gerwen, down below.

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Here’s how he did it.

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)

Sport

Owen Trout to leave Leigh Leopards at the end of the season

Danny Jones Danny Jones Owen Trout leaving Leigh Leopards end of the season

Leigh Leopards star Owen Trout is officially set to leave at the end of the season after lots of interest around the world.

The 26-year-old has garnered plenty of suitors over the past couple of years, helping lead the Leopards to their best finish to date in Super League history last term.

With that in mind, some would argue it was only a matter of time before he was snapped up, becoming just the latest UK talent to make the move to Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL).

Announcing his exit on Thursday, 26 March, Trout will soon be swimming in Shark-infested waters, as he is set to join Sydney’s suburban side, Cronulla.

Putting pen to paper on a two-year contract, the new Cronulla Sharks signing will get going in the NRL next year, but still has plenty of work to do for the remainder of his time in Leigh.

2026 may not have seen his best performances so far, but the Leopards as a whole haven’t been at their best domestically, either.

With just a couple of points to their name after five games, the next couple of weeks are a real opportunity to put together a proper run of form.

In addition to facing Toulouse this weekend, they’ve also got a North West double bill coming up against Warrington Wolves, who they’ll face in the league and the Challenge Cup quarter-final.

As for Trout himself, having made his England Rugby League debut this past October, he only came off the bench, but many national team followers made it clear they believe he should be in contention for a starting place.

Personality-wise, he’ll also be a big miss for the Super League in general, as he won over plenty of fans by shedding light on men’s mental health with Movember.

Speaking on the signing, Cronulla Sharks GM Darren Mooney said in an official statement: “Owen’s style of play is well-suited for success in the NRL, and we believe he is at the right stage of his career to make the move.

“He still has a job to do at Leigh, and our focus is firmly on the current NRL season, but we look forward to welcoming him to the club in due course.”

The Wakefield-born player has been hailed not only for his natural traits but versality, having played in both the front and second row, and that’s a particular level of utility that the Greater Manchester outfit will be hoping to find again elsewhere.

Meanwhile, in other British rugby league news, another big exit has been confirmed as Salford RLFC boss officially departed the team earlier this week.

Salford RLFC issue statement as head coach Mike Grady departs after less than three months

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Featured Images — Leigh Leopards/The Sportsman Rugby League (screenshots via YouTube)

Sport

Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season

Danny Jones Danny Jones Brad Hills out for rest of the season ACL injury

In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.

Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.

Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.

Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.

“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”

For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.

Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.

After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!

Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.

While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.

One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.

Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…

The EFL Championship set to expand playoffs to six teams in controversial move

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Featured Images — Stockport County Football Club

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