Luke Littler closes on World Championship title repeat with win over Ryan Searle

A marauding Luke Littler is just one win away from a historic defence of the World Championship title after bulldozing his way to another final.

The 18-year-old looks like an unstoppable force as he demolished Ryan Searle 6-1 in the last four, stretching his unbeaten run on the Alexandra Palace stage to 12 matches and counting.

Victory also means Littler has reached the final all three times he has entered the competition, and is within touching distance of becoming the first man to win back-to-back titles since Gary Anderson a decade ago.

Ironically, it could be Anderson who stops him as the Scot plays rising Dutch star Gian van Veen in the night’s second semi-final.

Victory cements Littler’s position as one of the giants of the game and few would back against him lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for a second time in 24 hours.

It will take something special to stop him as he looks unbeatable over a longer format.

He averaged 105.35, hit 10 180s and took out 59 per cent of his doubles, amid a stretch of 11 successive wins, and there was still a strong sense that there was more to come from the audacious teenager.

His only disappointment was his failure to land a nine-dart finish, an insatiable itch that he has been so far unable to scratch.

He twice came close in the sixth set, with seven perfect darts in a leg he ended up losing after Searle took out a ‘Big Fish’ 170 checkout.

Littler ends what has been a career-best run by Searle, who moves up to a new high ranking of number eight.

The 38-year-old’s performance has been made even more impressive by his recent revelation that he suffers from Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy – an eye condition which means he often cannot see where the dart lands.

That did not hold him back and he dropped just two sets on the way to the last four.

But then he came up against a different proposition in Littler, who produced a masterful performance to reach a third successive final.

“This is crazy. A few boos, a few cheers, but the crowd tonight have been good,” Littler said on Sky Sports.

“I went 1-0 down, I wasn’t the happiest, I thought I didn’t play that well. Everyone knows I want to go 1-0 up, I want to get into the feel.

“I told myself I’d find it.

“Big shout to Ryan, he has done amazing this tournament, he can be proud.

“(The second semi-final) is going to be a brilliant game, I don’t mind who I play, both excellent lads. Whoever hits the double first will win the match.”