One of the key lyrics of Stephen Bunting’s iconic walkout mentions that he is ‘bulletproof’.
But in the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship, Bunting’s body armour was pierced over and over again by a red hot Luke Littler.
Teen sensation Littler booked his spot in a second-straight World Championship final as he thrashed Bunting 6-1 in their semi-final at the Alexandra Palace.
Bunting came flying out of the gates and recorded a sensational three-dart average of 113.35 while Littler hit 105.92.
However, it was Littler who was clinical on the doubles and took the first set.
It was a sign of what was to come as no matter the number of haymakers Bunting threw at Littler, he slipped each and every one and landed clinical strikes in the form of doubles.
Such was Bunting’s wayward nature in the second set, he hit just one double out of ten attempts.
As for Littler, he hit three from eight to take the second set by three legs to one.
Littler continued to keep his foot on the gas and recorded an explosive three-dart average of 114.2 in the third set to Bunting’s 91.2.
In the blink of an eye, the scoreline read four sets to nil in favour of the 17-year-old from Warrington.
Bunting managed to take the fifth set, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
The Liverpudlian was even one dart away from shrinking the margin to two sets, but he missed his chance.
PDCLittler ended the run of the crowd favourite Stephen Bunting in the final four[/caption]
Littler made him pay and let out an almighty roar as he took a 5-1 lead.
The 17-year-old rolled on in the seventh set to wrap up the victory and was a picture of pure elation upon pinning the final dart.
With the victory, Littler’s attention now shifts towards the final where he will taken on three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.
Littler’s appearance at the final hurdle also made him just the seventh player in history to qualify for back-to-back World Championship finals.
The 17-year-old will hope to go one better than what he achieved last year as he fell agonisingly short to Luke Humphries.
History is on the cards for Littler if he beats Van Gerwen, as he would shatter the Dutchman’s record for being the youngest world champion.
Van Gerwen holds the record at present as he was 24 when he won darts’ most iconic tournament in 2014, beating Peter Wright in the final.
Even if Littler falls short on Friday, he still has plenty of years in the bank to beat Van Gerwen’s record.
In fact, the Dutchman fully expects it to be broken at some stage by his rival, not that he’s overly fussed with the numbers behind it all.
“He’s (Littler) still got years,” Van Gerwen said.
“With his capability, it will surprise me if he’s not going to do it.
“I don’t really care; I don’t look at stats. The same people talk to me about beating some of Phil Taylor’s records – I don’t care.
Head to head: Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen
Bahrain Darts Masters (January 19): Littler 8-5 Van Gerwen
Dutch Darts Masters (January 27): Littler 6-8 Van Gerwen
Premier League (February 8): Littler 5-6 Van Gerwen
Premier League (February 22): Littler 5-6 Van Gerwen
Premier League (March 14): Littler 6-2 Van Gerwen
Premier League (March 28): Littler 6-3 Van Gerwen
Premier League (April 4): Littler 6-3 Van Gerwen
Premier League (May 9): Littler 1-6 Van Gerwen
World Matchplay (July 15): Littler 6-10 Van Gerwen
World Series of Darts Finals (September 15): Littler 11-4 Van Gerwen
European Tour (October 20): Littler 6-1 Van Gerwen
TOTAL: Littler has six wins, Van Gerwen has five wins
“It’s all about what you do now, and whoever’s in your path. You have to face it and beat it.”
Aside from a slice of history as the youngest winner, Littler will hope to add even more to his wallet that is bursting at the seams.
Prior to the latest iteration of the World Championships, Littler had raked in over £1million in prize money.
It is a figure made all the more absurd and impressive considering it was Littler’s first year on the tour.
A whopping £618.5k of that seven-figure sum came from prize money in major PDC events.
That number will go up to a minimum of £818.5k on Friday, as the runner-up in the final is guaranteed to win £200k.
Luke Littler’s career earnings broken down
2023-24 World Championship: £200k
2024 Grand Slam of Darts: £153.5k
Players Championships: £71.5k
European Tour: £91k
Other PDC events: £102.5k
Non-PDC events: £395k
Total (before 2024-25 World Championships): £1.0135 million
As for the winner, they will take home a cool £500k along with the Sid Waddell trophy.
Littler’s win over Bunting also placed him second in the live PDC Order of Merit, which tracks a player’s earnings over a two-year period.
Filling out Littler’s £1m in earnings is his prize money from invitational events, such as the Premier League of Darts and the World Series of Darts.
From those non-ranking events, Littler won £395k.
However, money will not be the leading thought on Littler’s mind when he takes to the oche on Friday at the Alexandra Palace.
It will be the image of him lifting the Sid Waddell trophy and etching his name in darts history.
He just has the small task of stopping Van Gerwen.
