SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

Littler shows his mettle in quest for sporting nirvana

- MIKE WALTERS

HE'S got the talent, he's got the bottle and Luke Littler has got the afterburners to take the chequered flag.

Luke the Nuke's path to the PDC World Championship quarter-finals has been a bumpier road than his magic carpet ride 12 months ago.

But when he faces one of his best pals on the circuit, Nathan Aspinall, at Alexandra Palace tonight, he will be fortified by two key traits that separate champions from contenders - resilience under pressure and a scoring power few, if any, can match.

Littler's record against 'The Asp' is impressive - seven wins from eight meetings, with an aggregate of 45-31 in legs and his only defeat coming in the Premier League at Nottingham in March.

Now he must recalibrate his sights because the widely-anticipated 'Lukes of Hazard' semi-final against Luke Humphries, his conqueror in the final at Ally Pally 12 months ago, is off the table.

Humphries' shock defeat by Peter Wright might have cleared his path to another final but the road is littered with booby traps.