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Topics: Luke Littler, Darts, World Darts Championship
Ryan Smart
Luke Littler has described a darts coach as an 'absolute helmet' after he was criticised for taking part in the 2025 World Youth Championship.
The yearly championship is open to darts players aged between 16 and 23, with a field of 128 earning entry.
The first stage of the tournament, up to and including the semi-finals, was staged over one day on October 13.
Gian van Veen reached the final by defeating Sebastian Bialecki 6-4, while Littler lost 6-5 to Beau Greaves at the semi-final stage.
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A number of active PDC tour card holders decided to enter the tournament, including Littler, Van Veen and Keane Barry.
But despite that, it was reigning world champion Littler who received significant criticism from those who believed that he should not have entered.
They included former professional Andy Cornwall, who is now a coach and previously worked with Nathan Aspinall.
He told the Mission Darts Podcast: "Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
"It was a bit like, 'Look at me, look at me, look at me. Everything is about me'.
"I didn't like it one little bit. Somebody should have got hold of him and said, 'You're doing the wrong thing here, Luke. You're taking away somebody else's chance'.
"You should not be playing in the youth anymore when you're world champion."
Others have taken a different stance, arguing that the 18-year-old should be free to enter whatever tournament he likes, and that his participation increased the amount of attention on, and prestige of, the event.
And Littler himself clearly isn't happy with Cornwall's criticism in particular.
Posting to his Instagram story, Littler wrote: "Andy Cornwall (apparently a darts coach and does work for Darts Corner or something), seen he said something about [Stephen] Bunting yesterday about where he stands and stuff, and now saying stuff about me.
"What an absolute helmet of a bloke and I don't know him."
Littler participated in the competition the day after he won the World Grand Prix, where he defeated Luke Humphries 6-1 in the final.
He told the PDC after his defeat by Greaves: "The likes of Gian van Veen, tour card holder, Keane Barry, tour card holder [entered], but I'm the one who gets it in the neck.
"I didn't win so obviously a lot of people were happy."