Luke Littler’s hopes of adding to his Players Championship success suffered a blow at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena on Monday with a quarter-final exit to Callan Rydz.
World Youth champion Littler, who won Players Championship 1 on debut last week, headed into the event having lost to Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals of Premier League night three in Glasgow on Thursday.
The Warrington ace took on Rydz, who produced an astonishing comeback from 5-0 down to defeat Daryl Gurney 6-5, surviving four match darts in the process to set up a last-eight meeting with the 17-year-old.
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‘The Riot’ continued where he left off by surging into a 3-1 lead with Littler appearing visibly frustrated.
An unconventional 113 in the seventh leg kept Littler in the contest but an 11-darter from Rydz put him on the cusp of victory.
Littler survived a match dart before landing a haymaker of a 158 finish to make Rydz serve it out, and his opponent duly obliged thanks to another stunning 11-darter to complete a 6-4 win, firing in five 180s and averaging over 103.
Littler recovered from 5-3 down in his opening match to deny Keane Barry, after the Irishman spurned five match darts in a dramatic last leg.
He was far from his best against Cameron Menzies as well, with ‘The Nuke’ winning 6-3 despite missing 13 darts at doubles.
Littler went 2-0 up then 3-2 down, before he reeled off four legs on the spin to close out the win against Scotland’s Menzies.
He eased into the last 16 after upping his average to 95.25 in a 6-2 success against Dutchman Kevin Doets to set up a mouth-watering encounter against Dirk van Duijvenbode, who saw off Chris Dobey 6-1 to progress.
However, it was Littler who won through 6-4 thanks to a stunning 145 checkout against ‘Aubergenius’, averaging 101.34 in the process before bowing out to an inspired Rydz.
Searle makes it third time lucky
Having finished runner-up in the year’s first two Players Championship events, it was third-time lucky for Ryan Searle
Ryan Searle claimed his first ProTour title this season at the third attempt, as he edges out Gary Anderson 8-7 in an epic contest in which both players averaged over 107 and landed eight 180s apiece.
‘The Flying Scotsman’ smashed the record for 180s at a ProTour event with 41 in total and he ended the day with a tournament average of 105.85, which included averages of 112, 111 and 109.
After losing in the final of Players Championship 1 and 2 Searle finally crossed the winning line against his practice partner.
Where does the Premier League head next?
Michael van Gerwen is the seven-time Premier League champion
Premier League Darts now heads to the Newcastle’s Utilita Arena next Thursday night.
Price stars on Night Four as he takes on Michael van Gerwen in a repeat of last year’s final, while Littler faces Peter Wright, Michael Smith goes up against Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross battles world champion and No 1 Luke Humphries.
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Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday with Newcastle the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW
