Luke Littler reaches third-straight World Darts Championship final: Star, 18, thrashes Ryan Searle as friend Angry Ginge and Lewis Capaldi join his girlfriend in crowd at Ally Pally

Luke Littler’s strong defense of his World Darts Championship title continued after reaching Saturday’s final.

The world No. 1 achieved his goal once again after defeating Ryan Searle in the first semi-final on Friday night.

The 18-year-old was magnificent in the oche as he beat his English compatriot 6-1 in sets.

Littler will face either two-time champion Gary Anderson or Gian van Veen in Saturday’s showcase.

The teenager hugged his parents Anthony Buckley and Lisa Littler, as is tradition, and also kissed his girlfriend Faith Millar.

And the Warrington-born star had another star-studded support in her corner as her friend and I’m A Celeb King of the Jungle Angry Ginge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, was also in attendance. Besides him, musician Lewis Capaldi was also at the venue in North London.

Littler embraces Ryan Searle after beating the England compatriot 6-1 in the semi-final

Littler kisses girlfriend Faith Millar during a walk on Friday night

The victory cements Littler’s position as one of the game’s giants and few can argue against him lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for the second time in 24 hours.

It will take something special to stop him as he looks unbeatable in the long format.

He averaged 105.35, hit 10 180s and hit 59 per cent of doubles in a run of 11 consecutive wins, and there was a strong feeling there was more to come from this brave youngster.

His only disappointment was his failure to pull off a nine-dart finish; It was an insatiable itch he had so far failed to scratch.

He came close twice in the sixth set and lost after Searle’s ‘Big Fish’ shot of 170 with seven perfect darts down one leg.

Littler finishes the race, Searle’s career-best, and Searle moves up to No. 8 in the world rankings.

The 38-year-old’s performance was made even more impressive by the recent revelation that he suffers from Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy; it was an eye condition that often meant he couldn’t see where the arrow was landing.

This did not put the former window cleaner behind and he lost just two sets en route to the last four.

In addition to Littler’s girlfriend, his father Anthony Buckley and mother Lisa Littler (left) were also there.

Littler also had the support of his friend, recently appearing on I’m A Celeb King of the Jungle Angry Ginge.

Musician Lewis Capaldi watches the first semi-final on Friday night

Searle reacts as he loses to Luke Littler in World Darts Championship semi-final

The 38-year-old was a window cleaner before becoming a professional darts player

However, he later encountered a different offer from Littler, who performed masterfully and reached the third final in a row.

‘This is crazy. Littler said on Sky Sports: “A few boos, a few chants but the crowd tonight was good.”

‘I went down 1-0, I wasn’t the happiest, I thought I wasn’t playing that well. Everyone knows I want to go 1-0 ahead, I want to experience that feeling.

‘I told myself I would find him.

‘Many congratulations to Ryan, he put in a fantastic performance in this tournament, he can be proud.

‘(The second semi-final) will be a great match, I don’t care who I play, they are both excellent players. The first person to hit the double will win the match.’

While Littler has been in fine form on the field, the 18-year-old has faced criticism throughout the tournament.

He was booed in his last-16 win over Rob Cross on Monday and then slid the microphone back and said: ‘I don’t bother. I wasn’t really bothered.

‘Can I say something? You pay for the ticket, and you also pay for my prize money. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come on!’

There were also a number of fans online who branded the teenage sensation as ‘arrogant’, leading to her mother calling the crowd ‘lowlifes’.

While Littler described the atmosphere at the historic site as “hostile,” his mother, who rushed to her son’s defense, said much harsher things on social media.

On Monday, Littler was booed by the crowd and responded harshly in the post-match interview.

The young man’s mother responded to those who believe her son is at fault on social media site X

One commenter had wondered aloud why he wasn’t allowed to “say a little pudding because (Littler) is 18” because he could “financially mock the entire audience that pays their hard-earned money.”

Lisa replied: ‘So they buy tickets with their hard earned money and they just sit there and get booed (thumbs down emoji)’.

‘The more I watch Luke Littler the more I hate him,’ another social media user wrote, prompting her mother to sarcastically respond: ‘Oh I’m heartbroken for you (sic) (two laughing-crying emojis)’.

When a darts fan told the world number one to ‘act like one’, Lisa had no reaction and wrote: ‘Pretend to be one (two laughing-crying emojis)’

‘Best comment ever, I’m sure Luke will continue to act like the crowds are assholes (sic), let’s all boo the number one stupid man in the world’.

In response to one line of insults, Lisa remained defiant, mocking one person who called Littler ‘the most insufferably arrogant man in all of sport’ and a ‘fat ****’, saying: ‘Aww Luke ain’t sleeping now (two laughing-crying emoji) (middle finger emoji)’.