Luke Littler’s staggering impact on darts revealed as ‘people in remote Guatemalan villages’ know teen sensation
RUSS BRAY reckons the Luke Littler effect in darts has been so transformative and far-reaching that “people in remote Guatemalan villages have heard of” the teen sensation.
Known as ‘The Voice’ of darts, husky-throated Bray retired as a referee after calling the shots in the 2024 World Darts Championship final, which saw Luke Humphries beat Littler 7-4 at Ally Pally.
During that tournament, then 16-year-old Littler raced to the final on his debut appearance, knocking out former world champions Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross along the way.
A peak audience of 4.8million people watched the climax of the action at Ally Pally on Sky Sports as Bray went out on a high after 28 years of calling checkouts.
After putting down the officials’ microphone for UK events and entering semi-retirement, Bray became a PDC ambassador and his task now is to take the sport global and to far-flung places.
Writing in his new autobiography ‘All About Darts’, Bray reckons Littler is talented enough to go on to rule the oche like 16-time world darts champion Phil Taylor once did.
Bray said: “Luke is a once-in-a-generation darts talent.
“After his World Championship final, he was given a place in the 2024 Premier League. Some pundits wondered if he was ready.
“Ha! He only went and won the whole thing, beating Luke Humphries in the final, including a nine-darter, in front of 14,000 screaming fans at the O2.
“Luke has the attributes to become like Phil Taylor and dominate darts for the next 20 years.
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“Will he want to? Only he can answer that. But even in the first few months of his career, the effect he’s had on the sport is unbelievable.
“In fact, here’s a thought, in the not-too-distant future, I can easily imagine a World Championship final between Luke Littler and Beau Greaves.
“And how good would that be? I might even come out of retirement to call that one.”
Bray, a former Metropolitan Police traffic officer, had the most distinctive voice in darts.
The job has seen him call 180s on oches in places as diverse as Australia, Japan, Dubai, Bahrain, Las Vegas and even Mongolia.
This “pretty ordinary bloke” from Essex says he has plans to take tungsten throwing around the planet in his new capacity as a PDC ambassador.
Bray said: “I’ve been a lucky sod with the best seat in the house to watch darts grow from those humble beginnings to the global phenomenon it is now.
“And let me tell you, it’s been a wild journey.
“Where next for darts? I honestly think there are no limits.
“What about Africa? The PDC has had two or three tournaments in South Africa, which worked well and pulled great crowds. But Africa is a huge continent.
“I’m chatting to guys in Chile about trying to set up a tournament there. Argentina, Brazil. It’d be sensational to get things moving in South America.
“And, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a matter of not if, but when.
“Darts will reach all four corners of the world, eventually. And if I can help it along the way, so much the better.”
All About Darts: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Greatest Sport by Russ Bray (£16.99) is out now.