Luke Littler gets early Christmas boost days after emotional scenes at World Darts Championship
WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as Luke Littler gets early Christmas boost
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has secured a prime-time Saturday night slot for his World Championship third round match.
The rising star will face Ian White on December 28 as he continues his quest for the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Littler's match will share the evening spotlight with three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen, who takes on Brendan Dolan.
The Saturday schedule also features an intriguing clash between Chris Dobey and Josh Rock, while Scott Williams faces Ricardo Pietreczko, Germany's last remaining representative in the tournament.
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has secured a prime-time Saturday night slot for his World Championship third round match
PA
The World Championship resumes on Friday December 27 as the remaining 32 players continue their pursuit of glory.
Reigning champion Luke Humphries will face Nick Kenny on the opening evening, alongside former champions Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright.
The afternoon session will see Masters champion Stephen Bunting headline against Latvia's Madars Razma.
Luke Littler will be hoping to beat Ian White on Saturday
PA
Former quarter-finalists Jonny Clayton and Daryl Gurney will also meet, while Australian number one Damon Heta faces Luke Woodhouse.
The third round action concludes on Sunday December 29, featuring UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh against Callan Rydz, and Kevin Doets taking on Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski.
Littler's third-round appearance follows an emotional second-round victory over Ryan Meikle, where he was seen crying at the oche.
JUST IN: Rob Cross 'facing punishment from darts chiefs' after rude gesture in World Championship defeat
The youngster admitted to struggling with nerves during the match.
"When I was leading up to it, I was perfectly fine, then it was 'game on' and the bottoms gone, it fell out," Littler said.
"I didn't know what to do with myself. You have got to focus on yourself and I did."
READ MORE:Man Utd 'blocked key player from spending money on staff' after benefits taken away
He noted this experience was unique, saying: "Throughout the year, it has been fine. Against Michael (van Gerwen) at the Matchplay, it wasn't nerves, he was just the better player. Tonight was something different."
The tournament's knockout stages will continue with the fourth round concluding on December 30.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Luke Littler battled his way to a 3-1 win over Ryan Meikle on Saturday night
PA
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will then take place across three consecutive days.
The competition will reach its climax between January 1-3, when the 2024/2025 World Darts Champion will be crowned.
You may like
