MAGIC DARTS

Boy wonder's breathtaking tournament run ends in heartbreak after tense final

- PAUL BYRNE

TEENAGE sensation Luke Littler lost a tense DC World Darts Championship final last night but he takes home the hearts of the nation.

The 16-year-old, nicknamed The Nuke, was roared on by thousands of fans and millions of TV viewers as he won match after match.

But in a marathon final, Humphries, 28, proved too strong for the boy wonder, who came into the tournament ranked 164th in the world and an 80-1 outsider.

All the buzz may have been about Littler but Cool Hand Luke Humphries, from Newbury, Berkshire, was determined to spoil the party.

Littler may not have picked up the Sid Waddell trophy but the legendary commentator, who died in 2012, would have said of his run to the final: "There's only one word for that magic darts."

A virtual unknown before the start of the event, Littler can take heart in becoming one of the UK's most famous sports stars after blowing away rivals including three former world champions, during his teenage rampage to the final.

The remarkable run earned him a guaranteed payday of £200,000.

And despite it being only the first week in January, he is already the hot favourite to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December.

Too young to drink alcohol, he has been celebrating with soft drinks and fast food such as pizza and kebabs. Earlier yesterday he was seen heading out for a slap-up feed at a "greasy spoon" cafe.

After winning his semi-final the day before, he had vowed to enjoy an omelette for breakfast and grinned as he visited the Cafe Millennium in North London with girlfriend Eloise Milburn, 21.