'It's gone mad!'

Darts club says popularity is soaring due to 'Luke the Nuke' effect

- THOMAS GEORGE

WHEN Ben Wright bumped into Luke Littler in a darts shop just before Christmas, he could never have imagined that the teenager was about to become the talk of the nation.

Ben, who runs Stockport Junior Darts Academy, said: "Everybody in the darts community knew he was a special talent but to play the way he has is pretty much unheard of.

"It was amazing to see his abilities on TV. The pressure he has handled for a 16-year-old is absolutely phenomenal."

Darts mania has swept the UK in recent weeks as the Warrington teenager set the PDC World Darts Championship alight, knocking he sport's biggest names on his way to the final of the competition.

Although he eventually lost out to Luke Humphries, Littler's astonishing rise captured the public imagination and put darts firmly on the map.

Just weeks after his meeting with Littler at St Helens Darts Shop, Mr Wright says he has been inundated with messages from parents whose children have been inspired by the 16-year-old's success.

When the academy holds its first session after the Christmas break, he expects to welcome at least a dozen new faces.