Luke Littler reveals blunt demand James Wade made to him before World Matchplay Darts final
Luke Littler has revealed the brutal comments that James Wade said to him before the World Matchplay Darts final.
On Sunday evening Littler became only the fifth player to complete darts' Triple Crown by beating James Wade 18-13 in the World Matchplay final.
The 18-year-old came back from a disastrous start that saw him 5-0 to win the match and join Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries as the only players to win the biggest competitions in the sport.
Meanwhile Wade was looking to claim his second World Matchplay Darts, having beat Terry Jenkins in 2007 when Littler has just six months old.
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But before the pair even stepped up to the oche to face each other, Wade made a brutal demand that ultimately served to be some harsh motivation for Littler.
With the stakes as high as ever for Wade, he was taking the final against Littler as serious as any other moment in his career.
Because of this, he wanted to make sure he got some practice in before the match, but rather than doing it on his own, he demanded, not asked, Littler join him.
Speaking ahead of the final, Littler told TungstenTales: "We practised tonight, we've done a lot of 121 to 170 checkouts.
"He literally told me: 'Get up off your a**e and practice with me. 121.' Alright, James."
Although Wade's comments showed that he clearly wasn't messing around, they appeared to act as motivation for Littler ahead of the match.
Winning the match at just 18 years, six months and six days old, Littler smashed the record of the youngest player to win the World Matchplay which was previously held by Wade himself.
Not only this, but it's clear that the teenager wasn't annoyed or upset by the demands as he was spotted chatting to his opponent immedaitely after the final in Blackpool.
Speaking post-match, Littler admitted what Wade had said to him, revealing: "He said: 'Well played, brilliant tournament and well done to you'.
"He's definitely got a lot better since the UK Open.
"Obviously, I had it my way in Minehead, and he had his in the first five legs, and then I got myself back in it and picked up the trophy."
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Ben McCrum