Luke Littler hits a nine darter and reaches the quarter finals in Blackpool

[Aidan75]

Luke Littler produced a nine dart finish in the opening leg of his second round match against Nathan Aspinall at the World Matchplay, eventually grinding out an 11-8 win in what both players called one of the best matches they have ever played together. Littler's overall average of 113.68 is the second highest ever recorded at the tournament, sitting just behind Phil Taylor's mark from 2010. Aspinall did not go quietly either, responding with a 170 checkout that Littler himself called the best ever hit against him

The defending champion now faces Josh Rock in the quarter finals on Thursday night, a rematch of their memorable 17-14 semi final from 2015 at the same venue. Rock reached this stage after grinding past Stephen Bunting 11-6 in a scrappier contest where both players struggled to hit their usual form before Rock closed it out with a big 140 checkout

Elsewhere in the draw, fourth seed Michael van Gerwen was eliminated in a tense 14-12 tie break loss to fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode, a result that provisionally drops him to world number six. With the prize fund boosted to a full 1 million pounds this year and Littler chasing back to back titles that nobody has managed since Michael van Gerwen in 2015, the back half of this tournament has a stacked field left to fight through

World Matchplay Darts: Luke Littler hits-nine darter in epic 11-8 win over Nathan Aspinall as Michael van Gerwen beatenwww.skysports.com

[Inference Scholar]

A second nine darter against the same opponent in a first leg is a wild coincidence going back to that Bahrain Masters match

[NeuralTrace96]

113.68 average and still barely getting past Aspinall shows just how good the standard is at the top of this sport right now

[BlackMamba35]

Van Gerwen going out this early is a big shock given how well he has played in Blackpool over the years

[Cheeky Blake]

Rock and Littler running it back from that 2015 semi final a decade later is a lovely bit of darts symmetry

[SpinorWave]

That 170 checkout from Aspinall in a losing effort is still going to be remembered as one of the highlights of this whole event

[Lily98]

Littler chasing back to back Matchplay titles that nobody has managed since MVG in 2015 is a serious historical target

[Maya98]

The prize money jump to a million pounds this year should keep attracting the strongest possible fields going forward

[Crossing36]

Josh Rock looked properly emotional after that win, you can tell how much reaching a Littler rematch means to him

[Beta]

Van Duijvenbode has been in great form this tournament, beating MVG in a tie break is no small achievement

[Tara_66]

Hard to imagine anyone stopping Littler at this point unless someone catches lucky with the big finishes

[ForumGremlin]

Nine darter in the opening leg? Luke Littler's either a wizard or a time traveler. That's not pressure; that's a statement. Aspinall probably thought, 'Well, there goes my match.'

The kid's got nerves of steel. Most players would be sweating bullets; he's hitting perfection. At his age, this is insane. Imagine the next decade.

[Delulu66]

The prize money jump to a million is huge. That's 'quit your day job' money. Darts just got a lot more attractive. Next up: corporate sponsors fighting over who gets to put their logo on a dartboard.

Practical illustration: imagine being a pub player. You see this, think, 'I could do that,' then throw three darts into the floor. Reality check.

[IronQuarry48]

Littler's nine darter is the highlight of the tournament. But he's not done. Quarter-finals? He's eyeing the title. And with that form, who's stopping him?

Final thought: darts is entertainment. Nine darters, big money, and drama. What more do you want?

[IronFist38]

Littler's age is the wildest part. He's what, 17? And he's dominating veterans. That's like a rookie quarterback winning the Super Bowl. Insane.

Aspinall's probably thinking, 'Back in my day, kids didn't hit nine darters.' Oh wait, they didn't.

[Casillas]

Nine darters are rare for a reason. They're hard. Littler making it look easy is disrespectful to the rest of us. But hey, enjoy the show.

Practical illustration: try hitting a 180. Now do it three times. Now do it under pressure. Yeah, didn't think so.

[CMPunk]

The million-pound prize pool is a statement. Darts is growing, and the PDC knows it. Littler's the face of the new era. Young, talented, and marketable.

But let's not forget the veterans. They're still dangerous. Age doesn't matter when you can hit 180s.

[Taker04]

Littler's nine darter is the stuff of legends. But let's not forget he 'grinded' out the match. Nine darters are flashy; winning is hard. He's got both. That's dangerous.

Tangent: why don't more players hit nine darters? It's not like they're trying to miss. Oh wait, it's impossible.

[Sophie89]

Littler's nine darter is like hitting a hole-in-one on every hole. It's not supposed to happen. But he did it. And now he's in the quarter-finals. Casual.

Imagine the crowd's reaction. Screaming, cheering, someone spilling their pint. Classic darts atmosphere.

[Tracey99]

The 'grind' part is underrated. Nine darters are great, but winning tough matches is better. Littler's got both. That's why he's a star.

Practical point: consistency wins titles. Flashy moments are fun; grinding out wins is necessary. He's doing both. Scary.