Luke Littler proved the darts commentators wrong as he picked up another weekly win at the Premier League on Thursday.
The teenager's lack of match action was questioned by experts earlier in the night but he stormed to victory in Manchester to move to the top of the table.
Littler has only played in the Premier League in the last four weeks after an incredibly busy first couple of months in 2024.
His last appearance at a PDC tournament that wasn't the Premier League was the first European Tour event of the season at the Belgian Darts Open.
Luke Littler has proven darts experts wrong with his win in the Premier League
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Littler triumphed in Wieze on March 10, beating Rob Cross in the final after hitting his third nine-darter of the year.
He then opted out of playing at two Players Championship events in Germany on March 17 and 18, along with world No 1 Luke Humphries.
Littler also didn't qualify for the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich last weekend, which Humphries won.
That means fans have only seen the 17-year-old in action on Thursday nights in recent weeks.
Littler wasn't at his best in his quarter-final against Michael van Gerwen in Manchester on Thursday.
Sky Sports commentator Dan Dawson wondered if his lack of competitive darts would cost him.
Dawson said: "Luke Littler, over the last three weeks the only darts he's played has been in the Premier League, it's been Thursday nights.
"You do wonder, yeah he was brilliant last week winning his first one, but he hasn't been on the board hammering it in competitive action like some of these guys in the last week or two.
"Maybe there is a bit of rust. Well, he didn't have a choice, he didn't qualify for the tournament at the weekend."
Wayne Mardle agreed that no practice can replicate the 'adrenaline' of a match on the big stage.
He said: "You have to play, you have to play matches. Practising's ok. But you can't beat the flow of adrenaline that makes you nervy, that makes you edgy.
"Because it's clear the Littler isn't playing anywhere near his best. Neither is MVG, so that makes for a fascinating encounter.
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Luke Littler won a second Premier League night in a row
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"But you're right Dan, you've got to play competitive darts."
But Littler has proven that he can turn it on despite having a reduced playing schedule.
He beat Van Gerwen 6-3 before putting on fine displays to dispatch Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price.
Littler's five points moved him ahead of Humphries in the table with just six weeks of league action remaining before the play-off stage at London's O2 Arena.
Luke Littler is now top of the Premier League of darts
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The teen sensation admitted he got better as the night went on in front of his adoring home fans.
Littler said: "Glad I got over the line again, snuck into first by a point over Luke.
"But yeah the first game against Michael wasn't really the bad and then I picked it up against Nathan and Gezzy."
