Darts spotter explains why it is 'horrendous' to work on a match Luke Littler is involved in

A darts TV spotter has explained why working on a Luke Littler match is "horrendous".

Luke Littler has wowed the sporting world since bursting onto the scene as a teenage darts sensation.

The 17-year-old is already one of the best players in the world right now, and did his bit to thrust darts under the spotlight with his unexpected run to the final of the World Darts Championship last month.

What's good for Littler is good for darts - well, almost.

The Littler story has been great for fans and event organisers alike, but his skills have made life considerably more difficult for spotters.

The role of the spotter is to make sure the TV cameras zoom in on the correct part of the board, especially when players on are a crucial double.

Spotters are integral to television coverage, are by and large they do their job seamlessly.

Experienced trio Keith Deller, Colin Lloyd and Richard Ashdown shared duties during the Paddy Power World Championship, but all three had to adapt to some of Littler’s quirky finishing routes and sheer speed.

"Er, horrendous," Lloyd said when asked by Daily Star Sport to describe what it's like spot during a Littler match.

"Luke’s got his own fandangled way of going, very much like Simon Whitlock and Rob Cross. They’ve all got their own ways going and it’s just a matter of picking up on them.

"When someone’s gone for a shot in a match and you’ve called it and, a few legs later, he’s left the same finish, you automatically think he’s going to go that way.

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"But Luke sometimes doesn’t, he’ll go the way he feels comfortable. If he wants to go a fandangled way, he’ll go that way. But that’s the life of being a spotter in championship darts."

With years left ahead of him, Lloyd is sure that Littler will come up with even more new shots to keep the spotters busy.

"He’s not afraid of using the dartboard, that’s what it’s all about. I learnt the old-style ways because I’m of that age. But I’ve had to adapt and adjust to certain shot-outs.

"This younger generation have got their own ways of going and, nine times out 10, it comes off, so good luck to them."

Littler came close to earning a first title in the BetMGM Premier League Darts, but he came up just short against Michael van Gerwen in Thursday's Night Two final in Berlin after wasting two match darts.

Topics: Luke Littler, Darts

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

@alex_brotherton