Glen Durrant names the top contenders to beat Luke Littler on Netflix show
Glen Durrant has named the five players that he believes have the best chance of winning the £501,000 prize on Netflix's 'Beat Luke Littler' show.
Littler will take on a maximum of 24 selected players, each over a single leg, consecutively when he takes to the oche at 8pm on Friday night. The competition will end as soon as one of the 24 players beats Littler and wins the £501,000 prize for themselves.
The only requirement for entrants was to never have had a PDC tour card - which means several of the entrants have a genuine chance of challenging the two-time reigning world champion. Durrant, who will be involved in the show on the night for Netflix, has given the inside track on the leading contenders.
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Glen Durrant names top contenders for 'Beat Luke Littler'
Speaking to SPORTbible (via NetBet online casino) about the players most likely to beat Littler, Durrant said: "I think Jayden Walker is a fabulous young talent. He's quick and has no fear. Mitchell Lawrie, if he wins the bullseye and throws first, can throw a 12-darter. He's that good.
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"Fallon Sherrock would be the romantic story of what this is all about. Jacob Gwynne is a lad from Yorkshire, and they're the kind of players who could do well. Jasper Scarrott is a fabulous player. What a story that would be as well.
"We've got someone coming over from Australia and someone from Germany. I think there's a real mix, and in one leg of darts, anything can happen. If you're throwing a dart for half a million quid, your body will quiver."
Walker, 14, has been tipped as a future star of darts since, when aged 12, he defeated 2024 world champion Luke Humphries in an exhibition match.
Lawrie, meanwhile, is only a year older and does not turn 16 until November, but reached the final of the WDF World Championship last year and is a leading contender to win it this time around.
Gwynne, 27, has averaged over 83 this season and is a regular on the Challenge Tour, while Scarrott has spent 38 years in the army and won the Army Darts Championship last year. He hit a nine-darter at the most recent Q-School tournament in January.
Sherrock rose to prominence through her victories at the 2020 World Championship. She became the first women's player to win a match at the tournament by beating Ted Evetts, before then defeating Mensur Suljovic. The 32-year-old then reached the quarter-finals of the 2021 Grand Slam, and has regularly played in the MODUS Super Series and PDC Women's Series this year.
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'That's what it's all about...' - Glen Durrant on Netflix selection process
Following the announcement of the 24 players for the Netflix show, there was criticism in sections of social media about the selection process, and the high standard of some players that were ultimately chosen.
"I understand the arguments, but there are two ways of looking at this," Durrant says. "Social media was telling me, before any selection was announced, that they were going to pick 20 hand-picked players for Littler to smash everybody. Netflix is about sports-themed entertainment. For entertainment, you want to see him challenged.
"When I first saw the players, I was delighted with the 24 they've picked. There are going to be some twists on the night to get down to the 20 players who compete. You've got players who are still playing in darts academies, female and male, boys and girls, and players who've never played outside home. You've also got the Queen of the Palace [Sherrock] and the WDF number one [Lawrie].
"I think there's a fantastic mix there, and none of them have ever held a PDC tour card. That's what it's all about."
Netflix issued a statement on Tuesday, reiterating that the audition process was 'the same for everyone'.
"The application and audition process for Beat Luke Littler was exactly the same for everyone and open only to people aged 12 and over who do not hold - and have never held - a PDC tour card," a spokesperson told City AM.
"The final 24 that have been selected for the chance to face Luke this week, all queued up to compete in the heats in London or Manchester, respectively, and managed to complete a leg of 501 in 24 darts or less to prove their darting ability."
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler, Spotlight
Ryan Smart