In the semi final of the PDC World Darts Championship there was this moment when Luke Littler introduced a new way for a 36 checkout. It reminded us of the way Erik Clarys takes out 24 for the win against Andree Welge.
The surprise and sensation of the PDC World Championship was the emergence of 16-year-old Luke Litter. Not only because of his sublime averages but also due to some remarkable choices in finishing.
The most noteworthy was the 36-finish against Rob Cross, reminiscent of Erik Clarys, who pulled off something similar with a 24-finish at the Lakeside, as seen on the footage above.
This moment occurred in his match against Andree Welge during the BDO World Championship in 2002. For many, it came as a surprise, but if you’ve seen the Belgian in action more often, you know that this was not unusual for him.
He had a unique approach to reaching a double, often lacking logic for others. For the spotters, it was a challenge to capture the Belgian’s game well during televised tournaments.
For instance, a finish of 100 did not go via triple 20 and double 20, but he opened with his first dart on triple 17. The reason being that single 17 and triple 17 result in 32, leaving his favorite double. His preference for the corner of double 16 and double 8 is evident from his route from 55. While most would opt for single 15 and double 20 or single 19 and double 18, the Belgian goes for triple 13 and double 8.
But if that doesn’t work out, double 4 remains, and he handles it well, perhaps even better than double 16. When he has 65 points left, he goes for triple 19 and double 4 instead of single bull and double 20 or triple 11 and double 16.
Then there’s Erik Clarys’ 85-finish, where we also see something similar in Luke Litter. The Sheriff, in that case, didn’t go for triple 15 and double 20 or triple 19 and double 14 but opened on the bull’s-eye. The same approach is seen in the 16-year-old talent who consciously chooses the bull’s-eye from 111.