Luke Littler suffers unlikely setback after losing to bus driver in Players Championship

Darts sensation Luke Littler missed his stop on the second day of the Players Championship – as he was beaten by a bus driver.

The 17-year-old had enjoyed a superb PDC ProTour debut in Wigan on Monday, hitting an epic nine-darter on his way to banking £15,000 worth of prize money for winning the tournament. Littler returned to the same venue on Tuesday but suffered defeat in the last-64, losing to Radek Szaganski, who operates bus shuttles in Cork to supplement his income from darts.

Szaganski, 44, was born in Poland but now lives in Ireland. Tuesday’s result at Wigan’s Robin Park Tennis Centre marked a fresh setback for Littler, who has responded superbly to losing the PDC World Championship final to first-time champion Luke Humphries in early January.

During his match against Szaganski, the Warrington starlet hit back to bring the score to 5-5 but his Polish-Irish opponent took the deciding leg, although it was Gary Anderson who eventually claimed the title. Litter had started the day with a 6-4 win against former UK Open Champion Danny Noppert.

Littler will be back in action when he faces Gerwyn Price in Glasgow on Thursday. Price didn’t play in the second Players Championship, having complained of feeling too cold on Monday and deciding to pull out midway through his clash with Brendan Dolan.

The Welshman wrote on Instagram: “Travel all the way to Wigan to play in a professional game and we have to play in less than amateur conditions. Never have I ever given a game up. Well that’s me out of tomorrow as well. Gutted because my game was really good today and I rely on these events so much.”

Littler, meanwhile, is determined to put his setback behind him, as he bids to qualify for this year’s World Matchplay and World Grand Prix events. “Me and my manager know what I have to do to qualify for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix so, after [winning] the first event, I’m not far off,” Littler explained.

Your turn! Will Luke Littler bounce back? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 20: Radek Szaganski celebrates his win during his Round 1 match against Marko Kantele on Day Six of the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on December 20, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

“I know I’ve got about 13 or 14 ProTour [events] before the Matchplay, but it’s always good to get off to a good start. I want to try and qualify for everything. I know my game is there and I can beat anyone. I know I can win one of these, which I have done at my first event.

“It takes huge pressure off because I don’t want to be going into the last few [events] before the Matchplay having to win one or two of them. This has helped me even more now.”

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