On Friday 15 December 2023, 96 players began the 2023/24 PaddyPower PDC World Darts Championship with the goal of being World Champion. Now, just two remain.

After coming through semi finals with ridiculous averages, 16-year old Luke Littler, and 28-year old Luke Humphries will contest the sport’s showpiece match.

Today’s final will have the youngest average age between the two participants of 22. It’s also the first final to be contested between two winners of the PDC World Youth Championship, showing that the developmental system the PDC have in place is working.

 

Lost out in quarterfinals last night at Hayling Island comp to @lukeh180 missed a few chances to go ahead and a bull for a 164 but gave him a great game 🎯 2 Youth comps today Under 14’s and Under 18’s hopefully make tomorrow’s finals on stage @bucker1980 @lisa_littler pic.twitter.com/hTb4Cj0vuW

— Luke Littler (@LukeTheNuke180) November 9, 2019

Who will take home the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time in their career today at Alexandra Palace? We assess both contenders.

Littler bids to end Cinderella story with fairytale ending

In March, Luke Littler was 300/1 to win the PaddyPower World Darts Championship. By the start of the tournament, he was 50/1.

After his first match, he was cut to 8/1 and fourth favourite, after demolishing former BDO World Champion Christian Kist with a 106.12 average. He followed that with statistically his worst performance of the event, averaging 92.65 in a tight 3-1 victory over Andrew Gilding.

Since Christmas though, he has averaged at least 97 in each of his next four games, including over a ton in his last three. He beat Matt Campbell 4-1, before defeating Raymond van Barneveld by the same scoreline to reach the quarter finals.

He beat Brendan Dolan 5-1 on New Year’s Day, before seeing off 2018 World Champion Rob Cross 6-2 to book his spot in the final.

The 16-year old prodigy has taken the darting, and sporting world, by storm during his Cinderella run to the final. He has brought so much more increased media presence during the tournament, and has hundreds of thousands new social media followers.

His 2023 has been a stellar one, including two MODUS Super Series titles, five Development Tour titles, and becoming the youngest ever PaddyPower PDC World Darts Championship finalist in history. Can he cap it off with winning the biggest prize of the lot, and ending the greatest darting story ever told?

World number one Humphries looks to win World Darts Championship

Standing in his way is the best player on planet darts right now, which the world rankings now prove.

On the 8 October 2023, Luke Humphries won the only other set play event, the World Grand Prix, to claim his first major TV title. 50 days later, he’d won both the Grand Slam and the Players Championship Finals. He’s the youngest ever winner of three TV titles, and the quickest to do that by some margin.

All this led to him being favourite for the PaddyPower World Darts Championship when the tournament began. He started with a 3-0 victory over Lee Evans, before fighting back to beat Ricardo Pietrezcko 4-3 in an absorbing contest.

But that drama palled into insignificance in comparison to his titanic tussle with Joe Cullen. In arguably the game of the tournament, which went to the final set and extra legs, Humphries missed multiple match darts in the 10th leg. Cullen also missed match darts to keep the game alive, before eventually hitting double four to extend the match. Cool Hand though lived up to his moniker in the 11th and deciding leg, hitting a ton outshot to end an utter barnstormer.

Cool Hand though saved his best two performances for after New Year’s Day. A 5-1 thrashing of Dave Chisnall in the last eight was followed by a 6-0 whitewash of Scott Williams, in which he averaged 108.74, the third highest winning semi final average and the 11th whitewash in PDC semi final history, to rightfully take his place as the new world number one.

Humphries though wants more. He’s said in previous interviews this week that being world number one might last two weeks. Being a World Champion will last forever. Can he end a truly ridiculous three months with the biggest prize of them all?

In a PaddyPower World Darts Championship like this, full of comebacks, shocks and surprises, all we’re certain of is nothing is certain. To slightly quote a famous line from 365 days ago, “Luke will miss and Luke will hit.”

We are in for a history making match, no matter the outcome.

The 2023/24 PaddyPower World Darts Championship Final. Luke Littler v Luke Humphries for the Sid Waddell Trophy. Enjoy it from 20.00 GMT.