Darts sensation was tipped to become world champion but 'vanished' after beating Phil Taylor
Luke Littler has quickly developed into the new face of darts, winning both the World Darts Championship and the Premier League before turning 18 and having one of the most rapid ascensions in all of sport.
'The Nuke' is the youngest world champion in darts and has been tipped to dominate on the oche for years to come, perhaps even eclipsing Phil Taylor's record 16 world titles.
However, there have been many other exciting prospects who have burst onto the scene before - one being Corey Cadby.
The Australian secured qualification for the PDC World Championship in 2017 after finishing first in the DPA Australian Grand Prix circuit rankings - having already won the PDC World Youth Championships - a tournament won by Littler in 2023 - the previous year.
Advert
Cadby was defeated by Joe Cullen 3-1 in the first round in what was his only appearance in the competition.
At the age of 21, 'The King' beat darts legend Taylor in the the first round of the Perth Masters - avenging a previous loss in the Sydney Masters.
He also recorded a victory over another world champion in Rob Cross and won the UK Open in 2018.
But he encountered issues in travelling to the UK for events, with it claimed that run-ins with the law was the reason behind visa problems.
By 2020 he looked to have disappeared off the face of the earth - resigning his Pro Tour Card even though he was in the top 64 players.
He also refused to compete in a World Series of Darts tournament in New Zealand, a decision which he came to regret as alcohol and depression consumed him.
"I did let a lot of people down at the end and I’m totally ashamed of that," he reflected in a 2024 interview.
“Each day was so hard and that obviously led to alcohol. I was never one bit happy, I was actually depressed every day. I didn’t want to wake up and to be honest, there was thoughts of suicide on my mind.“
Cadby did return in 2023 and successfully won back his tour card at Q-school but because he did not feature in any PDC events in 2023, the card was taken off him in January 2024.
Discussing Cadby on The Darts Draait Door Podcast, former player Vincent van der Voort said it was "such a shame" to see how his career had turned out and claimed the Aussie had "everything to become a world-class player".
Van der Voort also said Cadby had "ended up sabotaging himself".
Speaking last year, in a chat with Phill Barrs, Cadby outlined his plan to return to the darts scene but starting back at the bottom in the DPA circuit before taking the necessary steps forward to reach the world championships.
He stated: "I think I’m going to go back onto the DPA circuit to get some match practice and hopefully win the Oceanic Masters to get in the Worlds, then while I’m there, I’ll stay for Q School.
“They all say that I’m done – I’m nowhere near done.”
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler
Josh Lawless