LUKE LITTLER FACES CHALLENGERS FOR £501,000 PRIZE

Luke Littler will face amateur darts players in a live Netflix event on Friday, with £501,000 available to anyone who beats him in a single leg. Beat Luke Littler starts at 7pm in the UK. Descriptions of the format put the number of challengers at either 20 or 24. One account of the event says a field of 24 will narrow to 20 on the night. Littler said: “Everyone thinks they can beat me.”

The entrants include Makinley Cooper-Johnson from Wrexham, who said Phil Taylor had given him advice on facing Littler. Fallon Sherrock, who became the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship in 2019, is also among the contestants. The field includes a Nando’s restaurant manager, a bricklayer, a driving instructor and a former British Army captain. An Australian jockey and a bin worker will also take part. Gary Lineker will host the programme, with Richard Osman appearing as an analyst.

Littler said he would try to beat every challenger who stepped up to play. He suggested the first few legs could be nervy before he settled into the event. Osman questioned whether Littler could win 20 legs in succession. “I honestly think someone is going to win that £501,000,” Osman said. A challenger can claim the prize by winning one leg, so the contest could end with Littler’s first match.