Littler secures second consecutive World Matchplay title
Luke Littler has successfully defended his World Matchplay title, defeating Gerwyn Price 18-9 in Blackpool. Littler, who is 19 years old, achieved an average of 111.53 in the final match. His overall tournament average was 111.04, surpassing Phil Taylor’s previous record of 106.31.
During the final, Littler hit 12 maximums, bringing his total for the week to 66. This performance also broke his own competition record for 180s. With this victory, Littler becomes only the third player to successfully defend the Matchplay final, joining Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, who last achieved this in 2016.
The win keeps Littler on track for a clean sweep of trophies in 2026. He has already secured victories in the World Championship, UK Open, Premier League, and the Masters. He is also set to defend his titles in the Grand Slam, Grand Prix, and Players Championship Finals.
Littler established an early lead in the final, going 3-1 up with a 167 checkout. He extended his advantage to 11-3 with a third bullseye finish of the night. Despite missing double 10 twice, which allowed Price to reduce the deficit to 14-7, Littler maintained control. Price hit an 11-darter to make the score 15-9, but Littler responded with a 148 checkout before closing out the match.
Reflecting on his performance, Littler described the week as “crazy” and “one of the best weeks of my life with the darts I’ve played.” He acknowledged the difficulty, stating, “It’s not been easy, it’s been tough. The stats make it look easy but when you’re on this stage with how hot it is, I’ve definitely played some of the best darts of my life. I feel like it’s the best version of myself. I have just played so well.”
Price reflects on final performance
Gerwyn Price was making his first final appearance since 2022 and has yet to win the World Matchplay trophy. Earlier in the week, Price had expressed confidence that he could defeat Littler if he played his best. However, despite averaging 104.97 in the final, he was unable to match Littler’s performance.
Price commented on Littler’s talent, calling him “one in a million.” He added, “I think I played pretty decent. In that game I missed a couple of opportunities but the bull checkouts, the 167, it was a big turning point even though it was early in the game. I didn’t play brilliant, but I played decent.”
The path to the final for both players involved strong performances. Littler had dominated his semi-final match, having previously secured wins against Niko Springer (10-6), Nathan Aspinall (11-8), and Josh Rock (16-7). Price, on the other hand, had to overcome a challenge in his quarter-final, where he was pegged back to 12-12 by Ross Smith before winning four consecutive legs to secure his semi-final spot. He then faced Gian van Veen in the semi-final, a player he had a strong record against in the Premier League, winning five of their seven encounters.
The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay tournament, which took place from Saturday, July 18 to Sunday, July 26, featured 32 players in a straight knockout format. Matches progressed from best of 19 legs in the first round to best of 35 legs in the final. All sessions of the tournament were broadcast live from the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Greaves claims Women’s World Matchplay title
In other tournament news, Beau Greaves secured her third Women’s World Matchplay title in four years, narrowly defeating Fallon Sherrock 6-5. Greaves began the final strongly with consecutive finishes of 148 and 144. Sherrock responded by winning back-to-back legs to level the match at 5-5, forcing a deciding leg. Both players hit maximums, but Greaves ultimately triumphed with a 56 checkout to claim the championship.
Greaves expressed her relief after the win, stating, “I’m not one to celebrate but it was relief in the end. Fallon is a great lass and an even better darts player. I knew I had to play well but to hit that last dart was an outpouring of relief.”
Littler is now focusing on the Pro Tour to qualify for the Player Championship Finals, mentioning a change in plans from a trip to Spain to attending Pro Tours in Leicester.
Source: theguardian.com
Dominic Hayes is the Sports News Writer at NewsGB, covering rugby union, golf and boxing with five years of reporting experience. He started on a north-east sports desk. He holds a degree in Journalism from Teesside University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Middlesbrough, he follows pro golf and amateur boxing. “Fast and accurate is the only standard worth keeping.”
