Luke Littler is excited to face Stephen Bunting and his ‘Bunting Army’ in their semi-final showdown at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.
Littler advanced to the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship with a strong 5-2 win over Nathan Aspinall, while Bunting also secured a 5-2 victory over Peter Wright.
Both players enjoy immense support from the Ally Pally crowd, with Bunting’s ‘Titanium’ walk-on and Littler’s ‘Greenlight’ track creating a lively atmosphere before each match. Despite being the crowd favorite, Littler acknowledges that not everyone will be rooting for him to reach the final.
“The crowd has been supportive of me tonight,” Littler mentioned to Sky Sports after defeating Aspinall. “They’ve also been cheering for Stephen.”
“They can take their pick and support whoever they want to. I can see quite a few Nuke shirts in here, so I think I’ve got on the better!”
With Luke Humphries suffering a shock early exit, Littler now enters the semis as the heavy favourite – Michael van Gerwen takes on Chris Dobey in the other semi-final – but he knows anything can happen on the Ally Pally stage.
But the 17-year-old is feeling the best he has the entire tournament and is hoping to replicate that on Thursday night to book his spot in the final once again.
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Littler says he is playing with absolute confidence and freedom
“Probably that’s what everyone thinks, but anything can happen on the day, it’s the semi-finals of the World Championship,” Littler said.
“Obviously Michael has been there numerous times, Chris is in his first, I’m in my second, and I know Bunting I think is in his first or second, so it’s going to be a good night.
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Stephen Bunting gives credit to training partner Luke Humphries for his improved form to reach the semi-finals after victory over Peter Wright
Bunting calls for more from Ally Pally crowd
While Littler is prepared for Bunting to have the crowd on his side in their semi-final clash, Bunting himself dealt with a growing support for Wright as he made a comeback in their quarter-final.
