Watch as Luke Littler speaks to the media after winning night five of Premier League darts in Brighton
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00:00Congrats Luke, we saw that win in DART go in and obviously we see you winning titles
00:07week in, week out now and you just look so cool about the win. Is it just business for
00:13you now, this is just business, you just need to do what you've got to do?
00:16Yeah, obviously the first game was huge and then to come off the back of it to win the
00:22semi-final against Michael again and obviously win the final, pick up all the points and
00:26close the cap on Luke Humphries again.
00:28Yeah, I heard you talking about the nine DART assists, we didn't see the first one,
00:32we know that you're a fan of DART, you love watching it, you get the first, I'm sure
00:36like all of us, when the nine DART go in. Did you watch the second one and how did you
00:40feel about it? Because one is a good one.
00:42I've seen the first one, missed the second one. My dad was showing me on my phone that
00:47I think Sky went down for the first one and then whilst we've been looking there's
00:51Page up there, so I was like that can't be a 170, it's got to be another nine and
00:54then a replay come on and we missed it. But no, I've seen one tonight.
00:58Showing that you are human because unfortunately it wasn't you doing the nine DART, how hungry
01:02does that make you feel for the future?
01:05Yeah, obviously at night you feel it when it comes, everything just goes to trebles
01:11but there's plenty more weeks to try and get the hands on the gold DARTs.
01:15I was about to say, do you want the gold DARTs?
01:18Yeah, they might use them for one night.
01:22I think maybe if you qualify comfortably you could use them one night.
01:25Maybe.
01:26Perfect, congratulations.
01:28Luke, congratulations. This is some run you're on, UK Open, second Premier League line.
01:34Is this the best version of Luke Niddler that we've seen so far?
01:39For myself I feel very comfortable going on the UK Open stage in Man United.
01:44Brilliant crowd here again tonight, brilliant crowd. But the run I'm on at the minute,
01:49I'm just happy with it. Everything's going, maybe some things aren't but obviously
01:55you've got legs where you can pick yourself up from and hopefully it continues in Belgium this weekend.
02:00Why are you sweeping everyone aside at the moment? These are seasoned pros and only your
02:05second year on tour. What do you feel with different personas in the practice room
02:10when they're coming off at least walk-in again? Because at the moment they can't get anywhere near you.
02:14Yeah, I just throw my DARTs and that's what I do. And obviously as the game goes on you
02:21see whoever I do play their heads maybe drop because I've got that two, three leg gap on them.
02:26And that spurs me on because if they get their head down then I know that I've got them.
02:30Do you feel you've got one foot at the O2 already after five weeks? You and Luke Humphries
02:35are dominating this at the moment.
02:37Yeah, obviously if you look at last year, well the past two years we've been 25, 26
02:41near enough there for the playoffs. But if I can get through with weeks to go then that
02:48will also be a bonus.
02:50If you get through with weeks to go, we see you experimenting at times. Will we see some
02:54more experimentations then?
02:56Maybe, but I'm hungry for more nightly wins and some more money then. I throw my normal DARTs.
03:00Luke, congratulations. Both the finals you've won so far this year have gone to a last leg
03:07for CIDR. Do you enjoy the occasion and the pressure of a last leg CIDR on a big stage?
03:14Even now obviously through my youth days I don't really lose many last leg CIDRs. For
03:21myself it's just a case of just letting them know. Because if you're playing a 105 hour
03:27job game with your opponent you know that the game is going to be done in 12, 13 DARTs
03:31so you just know that you've got to find it.
03:33You've won a huge amount in the short time you've been on tour with the UK Open just
03:38last week. You've already won a Premier League at 18 years of age. How do you maintain the
03:43hunger to keep winning?
03:45It's just in yourself. You want to go and win everything and run them on in the minute.
03:51I'm sure obviously I want to go and pick up the title in Belgium this weekend and hopefully
03:56make it back to back.
03:57Do you think your competitors have the same hunger as yourself?
04:01I don't see it in them. Obviously if they're hungry for themselves obviously they'll want
04:07it as much as I do.
04:10Luke, people used to say back in the day that Phil Taylor and Michael Van Gogh had people
04:15beat before they stepped foot on the Yorkie. Are you almost feeling that around you at
04:19the moment?
04:22It depends. Obviously as the first few legs go on and they get that two, three leg gap.
04:28Like I said, I can see the opponents throwing the darts away, their heads are gone and that's
04:33when I can put pressure on them.
04:35Just before that final started we saw Nathan talking to Huw. Was anything thrown on the
04:39stage? It looked like there was something on the stage that he picked up and threw away.
04:42I think there was a pipe through.
04:44Oh, from the 9-0?
04:45No, Nathan.
04:46Oh, Nathan?
04:47As soon as he got on the stage.
04:48I feel crazy.
04:50We've got the Euro top in Belgium now, which is where you won last year. It was all quite
04:55chaotic last year because you do the Premier League and then you can come in your window
04:59that night, come in, do the media and then you can fly out to play on the Friday. Is
05:03this almost a relief now that you've got that extra day to prepare and maybe see a more
05:07dangerous version of you because you've been more well rested?
05:10Yeah, last year it was just a case of waking up in the early hours, getting myself into
05:16the top 16 for the European tour. So you do play on that Saturday and that's what I've
05:23done. Obviously, like you said, I get the day off tomorrow to travel to Belgium.
05:28I know you're not a morning person, so I'm guessing there will be quite big numbers posted
05:32tomorrow or Saturday.
05:34Yeah, hopefully. Obviously, I'm very happy with the way I'm playing at the minute and
05:39I'd love to go back-to-back. The crowd last year were absolutely amazing. They even said
05:42there should be a Premier League in Belgium, so let's hope that's the same.
05:47Luke, congratulations tonight on the UK Open, a successful weekend. How's it gone for you
05:56going from the UK Open to tonight? Is there any change in your mindset after winning a
06:01major on the weekend to now?
06:03Just the case of me knocking, obviously, at the league table coming into tonight. You
06:07can see my confidence is well cleared, but obviously after his loss, I don't think too
06:13much of it. I just want to win the semi-final, take it game by game. But no, since the UK
06:18Open, it's just been chilling at home. Didn't throw it out until tonight, but it's gone
06:23well again.
06:24Nick, just on the fans' views of the forward that have been criticised before in the past,
06:29you spoke to Luke Humphries earlier and he said that he felt that they were quite a good
06:33time on his side, obviously, before and after the ninth half. You mentioned the point guard's
06:37phone at Nathan Aspinall. How have you found the crowd in the Premier League this year?
06:43I think we all know some have been good, some have been a bit bad, but that's the dark
06:50bands for you. They're either good or they're either bad.
06:54You mentioned Nathan having that Pine phone, but a couple of minutes later he had a real
07:01swagger about him. Did you notice that? He was sort of there and then he was up there.
07:06How did you deal with that?
07:08Yeah, it's just a case of obviously Nathan, I went 3-1 up and he got it back to 3-3 and
07:13then he got the darts back again. So what he was doing, he was confident in himself,
07:18got himself back into the game, but then I just went on to win it.
07:23You did what you did, you just seemed to stay very level.
07:25Yeah, obviously Nathan, he was very confident in himself. I lost two on the bounce, but
07:32it was all about just focusing and trying to get back into the lead and that's what I've done.
07:36Brighton, a long way from home for you, but you seem to be doing quite well there in Fancy,
07:41do you like it?
07:42Yeah, I don't know how well I did last year, but this year it's been very good. Collected
07:47all the points I could possibly get tonight and fly out to Belgium and see how it goes
07:52on this weekend.
07:53Congrats.