Luke Littler is relishing the opportunity to take on Stephen Bunting and his ‘Bunting Army’ in their semi-final clash at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.
Littler continued his bid for a first World Darts Championship title with an impressive 5–2 victory over Nathan Aspinall, while Bunting defeated Peter Wright by the same margin.
Both players receive huge support from the Ally Paly crowd, with Bunting’s ‘Titanium’ walk-on and Littler’s ‘Greenlight’ track generating huge noise before every match, with the pre-tournament favorites fully aware that the crowd will be at their bidding. to reach another world final.
“They [the crowd] Tonight was good for me,” Littler told sky sports After defeating Aspinall. “They’ve been good to Stephen too.
“They can take their pick and support whoever they want. I can see quite a few nuke shirts around here, so I guess I’ve gotten better!”
With the shock of Luke Humphries’ early exit, Littler now enters the semi-finals as heavy favorite – Michael van Gerwen meets Chris Dobbie in the other semi-final – but he knows anything can happen on the Ally Pally stage. .
But the 17-year-old is feeling his best throughout the tournament and is hoping to repeat it on Thursday night to once again seal his place in the final.
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Littler says he is playing with complete confidence and freedom
“Maybe that’s what everyone thinks, but anything can happen that day, it’s a world championship semi-final,” Littler said.
“Obviously Michael has been there a few times, Chris is in his first, I’m in my second, and I know Bunting is in his first or second, so it’s going to be a good night.
“I’ve had the best experience so far in this tournament, so hopefully I can come back regrouped and have the same feeling.
“We all know the expectations and it’s very different from last year, but tonight I felt the best I ever could and hopefully I can regroup and feel like I did on that stage yesterday (Thursday) Was.
“I would probably just say that I felt different in the Ryan Meikle game, and then coming up against Ian White, obviously the 3-1 lead against Ian was important, and then the tough test against Ryan, I think. That’s what I needed, and then tonight I settled.”
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Stephen Bunting has credited training partner Luke Humphries for his improved form to reach the semi-finals after victory over Peter Wright.
Bunting demands more from the Ally Pally crowd
Although Littler is ready for his opponent to have his fans behind him when they face each other in the semi-finals, Bunting faced Wright’s growing support as he bounced back in the quarter-finals.
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Watch Bunting’s son cheer on his father for quarterfinal win over Wright
At the end of his match, Bunting praised the crowd but demanded more.
“Hear [to the crowd] You were unreal in the first four sets but you have to perform better,” said Bunting. sky sports,
“I thought to myself just try and focus again. Every game I just focused on that opponent. The crowd, again unbelievable.
“Let’s go mental bunting!”
What will happen next?
Three-time world champion Van Gerwen headlines Thursday’s opening matches as he faces Dobe, who is attempting to reach the final for the first time, before pre-tournament favorite Little meets Bunting in the other semi-final .
The World Darts Championship marks the start of 2025’s premier darts event live on Sky Sports, featuring the Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts.
Littler is the reigning Premier League champion after defeating world No. 1 Humphreys in last year’s final – but will he enter this year’s events as world champion?
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch the semi-finals and final live exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more top games with NOW,
