Key events
Littler breaks back! Littler 2-0 Dolan (legs 2-2)
Littler starts with a 180 to nick the darts. He hits only one treble on the next three visits which gives Dolan a chance to take out 104 for the set. He misses D16 and Littler takes out 111 before roaring with delight! What a finish: 15, T18, D16.
Dolan breaks! Littler 2-0 Dolan (legs 1-2) This is an admirable response from Dolan. He hits 180 and 141 from leave 121 after nine, and Littler isn’t on a finish so he doesn’t need to go for the bull. He lays up for D16 and returns to complete a 13-darter.
Littler 2-0 Dolan (legs 1-1) Dolan ends a run of seven straight legs for Littler. A third 180 gave Littler control of the leg, but then his usually reliable doubling went awry. He missed two, one each at tops and tens, and Dolan took out 88 on the bull. That’s a crucial dart. It might not make a difference to who wins the set but he couldn’t afford to lose 3-0 again.
Littler 2-0 Dolan (legs 1-0) Littler makes a scruffy start to the third set – but so does Dolan, who is nowhere near the level he produced against Price and Anderson, and Littler eventually holds in 18 darts.
This stat tells a story. Littler has had four trebleless visits to Dolan’s 17. Littler’s cover-shooting on T19 is formidable.
Littler wins the second set 3-0!
And it took him just 37 darts. Dolan improved a bit in that set but Littler went into overdrive, averaging an absurd 121.86. He finished the job by taking out 56 on tops and swaggered off stage as if it was the most normal thing in the world for a bairn to be two sets up, having won six legs in a row, in his first World Championship quarter-final. Sets: Littler 2-0 Dolan
“Hi Rob and Happy New Year,” says Gary Naylor. “What’s the gold standard for precocious (men’s) sporting talent? Becker is a good shout and I’d throw in Michael Owen and Rafael Nadal. My father always claimed George Best was both the best footballer he ever saw and at his most devastating in his teenage years. But, as with so many of these kinds of conversations, I come back to Ronnie O’Sullivan who, at 17, beat Stephen Hendry to win the UK Championship final 10-6. The kid is three matches from that level – incredible really.”
I tried to put a list together and my head started to hurt. MvG was a star at 17, though I’m not sure he was this good. I’d certainly include Wayne Rooney, and I’ll have 1.4bn people on my case if I don’t mention Sachin Tendulkar.
Littler 1-0 Dolan (legs 2-0) Littler bangs in a 180 en route to a 12-dart hold. I didn’t realise the break was an 11-darter: his set average is currently 130.70.
HE IS SIXTEEN FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE.
Littler breaks!
Littler 1-0 Dolan (legs 1-0) Littler takes out 271 in five emphatic darts: three T19s (he’s been so good there all tournament) followed by T20 and D20. After a slow start he’s playing beautifully, again.
The players are back on stage for set two. Dolan has the darts; if he loses this set he’s in bother.
The first-set averages
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Littler 98.47
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Dolan 75.88
I didn’t realise Dolan’s was that bad. I wouldn’t swear by it but I think he’s deliberately throwing too slowly.
Littler wins the first set 3-2!
Littler, throwing for the set, starts with his first 180. He can’t help but break into a smile when he registers the crowd singing “Walkin in a Littler Wonderland”.
Dolan’s scoring has gone to seed – his slow pace is doing more harm to him than Littler – and he’s back on 353 when Littler threatens to take out 170. He hits two treble 20s, then turns round to ask the crowd whether he should go for the bull. “It’s not a committee, Luke!” says Dan Dawson on Sky.
Littler misses the bull but returns to take the leg – and the set – in 14 darts. Although Dolan lost his way, that’s a really impressive comeback from Littler.
Littler breaks! Littler 2-2 Dolan The first 180 of the game comes from Dolan, which few people expected. But Littler hits trebles consistently throughout the leg to leave 70 after 12 darts. Dolan gets nowhere near 143 and Littler pop-pops 70 quite majestically: T18, D16, cheers.
Littler 1-2 Dolan Dolan’s improvement came after he started to speed his game up a few years ago. It feels like he may have slowed down deliberately here in an attempt to disturb Littler’s rhythm. If that’s the plan, it didn’t work in that leg: Littler takes it in 13 darts with Dolan back in the 200s.
Littler 0-2 Dolan It’s been a nervous start from both players. Dolan misses two darts at double, as does Littler, and Dolan returns to win the leg at the fifth attempt.
John Part, commentating on Sky Sports, makes the excellent point that Littler is unlikely to enjoy Dolan’s sedate pace.
Dolan breaks! Littler 0-1 Dolan With Littler making a slow start, Dolan takes out 101 for an instant 15-dart break. That’s so typical of Dolan, whose timing has been immaculate all tournament. This time Littler was waiting on 50; it’s only the second time he has gone behind. Andrew Gilding also took the first leg against the darts before Littler took control.
And now, after one of the most dramatic comebacks of all time, the main event: Luke Littler v Brendan Dolan. Both players – can we call them men – look pretty relaxed. One of them is about to reach the semi-final of the World Championships for the first time.
Littler has the darts, which might be important as he has been a formidable front-runner all tournament.
“I treated myself to Virgin Media and Sky Sports for Christmas,” says Simon Isa. “So glad I did. It’s amazing to see the appearance of a true darts genius at Ally Pally. What a kid too – reminds me when I was the only person on the planet who, when first seeing Boris Becker win at Queens in 1985, said ‘That kid’s gonna win Wimbledon. 100 per cent true. I don’t see why Luke cannot win this.”
He definitely can. I still don’t think he will but his averages so far are those of a potential champion. Of the seven players left in the tournament, only Michael van Gerwen has a higher average than Littler’s 99.73.
And that was supposed to be the starter. “Happy New Year, Rob!” says Simon McMahon. “Like half a cider at 10am on New Year’s Day, the darts never fails to disappoint. Over to you, Brendan and Luke…”
For the first time in PDC World Championship history*, a quarter-final has been won – and lost – from 4-0 down. Cross punches the air and bounces round the stage in trumph. Dobey looks broken; how could he not be. That’s a pretty sick ending for a man whose nickname is Hollywood. He led 4-0, playing brlliantly as he has all tournament, but then a career-defining nightmare started to unfold. Last year he went out at this stage after being battered 5-0 by Michael van Gerwen. This defeat will hurt so much more.
Cross deserves infinite credit, because this isn’t a fluke. His mental strength allows him to produce these miraculous escapes. He’s done it twice at the Matchplay, once against Dobey, and now he’s produced the best comeback of all at the worlds. Win the next leg and see where it takes you.
* I think
Rob Cross wins an epic!
Both men are down to a finish after nine: Dobey 161, Cross 170. Dobey leaves 71, Cross 70 – but 71 is awkward and Dobey starts with T6 and then misses his only dart at tops.
Cross returns and immediately pins T18. He hitches up his trousers, glares at D8 and then rams his first dart straight into it. Cross has won 5-4 from 4-0 down!
Cross holds! Dobey 4-4 Cross (legs 3-4) Utterly vile darts from Rob Cross: a 10-dart leg on throw! Dobey had started with a 180 as well, but Cross hit 140, 180, 145 and 36.
Dobey holds! Dobey 4-4 Cross (legs 3-3) Dobey hits his 16th maximum and leaves 46 after nine darts. Cross is miles behind, so Dobey can afford to miss six darts at double – and deliberately bust 8 – before finally taking the leg on D2.
Cross holds! Dobey 4-4 Cross (legs 2-3) Cross is back in front – but only just. Dobey missed the bull for a 124 and Cross hit D16 first dart.
A tiebreak means the set must be won by two clear legs – unless it goes to 5-5, in which case leg 11 is sudden death. Cross would have the darts.
Dobey holds! Dobey 4-4 Cross (legs 2-2) This is too much. Dobey misses D16 for a 152 with Cross waiting on 93 for the match. Again he doesn’t get a shot at a double, though, and Dobey returns to hit D16 with his second dart. We’re going to a tiebreak.
Dobey breaks back!
Dobey 4-4 Cross (legs 1-2)
The nerve on this kid! He starts the leg abysmally, looking gone for all money, but then hits 180 and 140 to leave tops. Cross can’t get a dart from 110 and Dobey returns to complete a 14-darter on D10.
Cross breaks! Dobey 4-4 Cross (legs: 0-2)
Both men start with 180s, but then the leg becomes a desperate slog. Dobey hits 44 from 164, then Cross can only manage 40 from 170.
Dobey makes a mess of Shanghai, starting with a single five, so Cross returns for 130. And he takes it out on the bull! This is absolutely bonkers. Cross is throwing for the match!
Cross holds! Dobey 4-4 Cross (legs: 0-1) For the first time in the whole match, Rob Cross is in front. He took out 117, his first ton-plus finish of the match, for an emphatic 12-darter. He’s rampant.
A reminder that, when these two met at the Matchplay last year, Cross beat Dobey 11-9 having trailed 8-2. There’s no doubt that has influenced this game.
Cross wins the eighth set!
It’s all square! Dobey also started with a 180 but Cross popped enough trebles to stay in control. He missed one dart at the bull with Dobey on 170 but reeturned to hit D8 at the first attempt. Amazing. Sets: Dobey 4-4 Cross
Dobey holds! Dobey 4-3 Cross (legs 1-2) Dobey misses D5 for a 130, which makes it 4/16 on the doubles since he went 4-0 up. Make that 5/16: Cross can’t get a shot from 124 so Dobey returns to hit D5.
Cross, who was 4-0 down, is now throwing to make it 4-4. And he starts with a 180!
Cross holds! Dobey 4-3 Cross (legs 0-2) Dobey’s scoring has held up but he’s really struggling on the doubles. He misses tops to break back; Cross takes it out to lead 2-0.
Cross breaks! Dobey 4-3 Cross (legs 0-1) The mother of all comebacks is well and truly on. Cross hits a beautifully timed 180 to leave 87 after nine darts, and he eventually goes out in 13 with Dobey waiting on 24.
Has anyone lost a quarter-final from 4-0 up? Michael Smith led Barney 3-0 in 2016 before losing 5-3, and James Wade lost the 2012 semi-final to Adrian Lewis after being 5-1 up in a race to six. But I can’t recall anybody losing from 4-0 up.
Cross wins the seventh set!
Dobey is over his mini-slump and has started peppering T20 again. He trades 180s on the Cross throw and eventually wires the bull for a matchwinning 124. Cross, also on 50, takes it out in two darts to prolong this increasingly remarkable match. Sets: Dobey 4-3 Cross
Dobey 4-2 Cross (legs 2-2) Both men hold – Dobey taking out 93 in two darts with Cross waiting – so now Cross is throwing to stay in the World Championship.
“Now this is exciting,” writes Jeff Sax, “not like the tiki-taka of the PL.”
And when the players go to ground, it’s usually with good reason.
Dobey 4-2 Cross (legs 1-1) Dobey holds, though he missed three at double in the process. That gave Cross one dart at bull to break. He missed it and Dobey returned to pin D4.
Dobey 4-2 Cross (legs 0-1)
More drama. Having scored brilliantly, Dobey misses three darts to break Cross in the first leg of the seventh set, and Cross takes out 68 in two darts. Dobey is fighting desperately to keep his cool.
Cross wins the sixth set!
Cross holds easily to take the set 3-1 against the darts. Chris Dobey looks like he is starting to think the unthinkable. Sets: Dobey 4-2 Cross
Cross breaks! Dobey misses D16 for a 104, allowing Cross to return and take out his beloved D18 with the first dart. Cross does have form for astonishing comebacks, most notably against Daryl Gurney in the 2019 World Matchplay semi-final – and against Dobey in last year’s Matchplay. But surely he can’t do this. Can he? Dobey 4-1 Cross (1-2 legs)
Cross wins the fifth set! Luke Littler and Brendan Dolan have a bit longer to wait. Rob Cross has won the fifth set 3-1 to keep his gossamer hopes alive. He had the darts, though, so when the players return Dobey will be throwing for a place in the semis. Sets: Dobey 4-1 Cross
Introducing… Luke Littler
But how old is he?
Latest score: Dobey 4-0 Cross
The first quarter-final looked too close to call, but Chris Dobey – who whitewashed the defending champion Michael Smith in the previous round – is running riot. He leads Rob Cross 4-0 and needs one more set to reach his first World Championship semi-final.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Luke Littler v Brendan Dolan in the quarter-finals of the World Championship. It’s the history maker versus the History Maker, that being Dolan’s nickname*.
Before we start, let’s get one thing clear. Luke Littler is not a generational talent. He’s a multigenerational talent. Phil Taylor was 29 when he reached his first World Championship quarter-final. Michael van Gerwen was 23, Eric Bristow 21, Adrian Lewis 20. Littler’s opponent today, Brendan Dolan was 45 when he reached the last eight for the first time. Nobody has ever been this good at this age.
Whatever he achieves in his career – and there are no guarantees, not even with somebody this good – the memories of this tournament will keep him warm for the rest of his life. He has a helluva chance of reaching the last four today. While Dolan is playing the best darts of his career and has taken out two world champions in Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson, he is still ranked 28 in the world. By rights, or at lesat rankings, Littler should be facing Price (the world No5) today, having eliminated James Wade (world No13) and Peter Wright (world No4) en route.
None of that has happened. The draw has been kind to Littler, but then it was kind to everyone else in his section and they couldn’t take advantage. Paradoxically, one of Littler’s main concerns ahead is how relatively easy it has all been. He’s dropped only three sets and – this is an astonishing statistic – has been behind for only one leg in the entire tournament. Dolan, by contrast, won draining arm-wrestles with Price and Anderson and should be more battle-hardened.
Littler should outscore him handsomely; Dolan’s greatest strengths are his consistency – he has averaged between 94 and 96 in every game – his nerve and most of all the timing of his finishes. He will feel that the deeper the game goes, the more he can bring his experience to bear. But then everyone has a plan until they get punched in the treble 20.
Littler and Dolan are second up so there’s official start time, but I’d expect it to be between 2.30-3pm. The winner of the first game between Rob Cross and Chris Dobey will play Littler or Dolan tomorrow night. Of the four, only Cross has reached the semi-finals before. History is waiting to be made.
* In 2011 he became the first player to hit a televised nine-darter in a double-start match.
