Luke Littler could be at the dawn of an era of darting dominance

With my children being looked after by others for a day and a half at the end of November, I booked my wife and me a night in a fancy hotel in Bournemouth, sensing the opportunity of a 'dirty weekend'.

Anticipation built throughout the evening and after some fine dining and post-dessert footsie, I thought I was going to have to put the fire brigade on stand-by because the restaurant was crackling so dangerously with romantic sparks.

Approximately 30 minutes later, my wife was fast asleep in the hotel bed, having crashed out on arrival. A rare glass of wine for the typically teetotal member of the marriage did untold damage, so by 9pm, I was watching the Players Championship Darts Finals on ITV3 as my sweetheart gently snored beside me. The next best thing to a dirty weekend is a darty weekend, eh?

And it seems the nation agrees with me. The World Championship Darts final last week drew an audience of 4.8 million. That was the largest ever viewership on Sky Sports for a non-football event, knocking the Ryder Cup and the Ashes into a cocked hat.

Darts has always been in our DNA. Apparently Henry VIII had a penchant for launching small spears at wild boar in the 1530s, with Anne Boleyn in the background shouting “Boarseye!”, and these days we've got Luke Humphries doing similar as an irrepressible Wayne Mardle leads cries of “Bullseye!”.

It appears the popularity of darts has peaked. World champion Humphries, of course, has played a significant role in that – producing a remarkably high standard of arrers as he has dominated the darting planet over the last four months – but it would be foolish to deny the main reason for this surge in interest: young master Luke Littler.

Never mind the Lynx effect – a hugely successful advertising campaign which used to convince teenage lads they would suddenly become as irresistible to women as Steve Beaton if they sprayed a few particles of Dark Temptation on their armpits. Now we have the Littler effect – a 16-year-old darting sensation exhilarating sports followers after his barnstorming World Championship debut.

Littler is a freak of nature – the greatest 16-year-old sportsman in history. Only Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a fifty for India against Pakistan in 1989 aged 16 years and 214 days, can hold a candle to Luke The Nuke's Ally Pally runner-up finish.

What were you doing when you were 16? Sadly, it is so long ago, I can't remember what I was doing. I know I was crying on my 18th birthday because England lost to Germany in the Euro 96 semi-finals, but two years before that is a blur. I would certainly not have had the talent or courage to perform like Littler did in the Worlds.

The Warrington warrior has inspired a generation. He seemingly survives on a diet of omelettes, pizzas and kebabs, washed down by Fanta and Coke. He has no interest in GCSEs – he just wants to become the king of the PDC – and it appears to be only a matter of time.

The name Luke Littler is similar to that of Phil Taylor – four-letter first names, the same pattern of syllables, surname ending in an R – and they are both diminutive, stocky, fearless and ruthless at the oche. It is perfectly reasonable to believe the new Taylor has arrived.

Arrers fans the world over can't wait for the Bahrain Darts Masters, which starts on Thursday, for our next glimpse of this incredible prodigy.

Further progress seems almost inevitable this year and this darting genius appears likely to start as clear favourite for the next World Championship in December. Have yourself a merry Littler Christmas, my friends.

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