Littler falls at World Youth Championship semi-final hurdle
World number one Luke Littler suffered a surprise semi-final defeat at the World Youth Championship, ending his hopes of holding both senior and youth world titles at once.
Luke Littler, the 19-year-old currently ranked world number one in the senior darts rankings, was knocked out of the World Youth Championship at the semi-final stage. He lost 6-5 to Cam Crabtree, who sits 68th in the world rankings.
Crabtree will now face German player Jan Schmidt in the final on 29 November. That final will be held on finals day of the Players Championship Finals in Minehead — an event Littler himself has not yet qualified for, having skipped most Pro Tour events this season. He currently sits 126th in the Players Championship order of merit, with only the top 64 earning qualification.
Four Players Championship events remain on the calendar, though two are scheduled in Den Bosch, Netherlands, a venue Littler recently withdrew from after being booed by crowds there.
Littler has won back-to-back senior World Championships and claimed the youth title in 2023 at age 16. However, this defeat to 23-year-old Crabtree marks his second consecutive semi-final exit from the youth event, having also lost at that stage in 2025 to Beau Greaves. He remains eligible to compete in the tournament up to four more times, as it is open to players who are 23 or under at the start of the season.
The loss adds to a recent run of unexpected early exits for Littler, who was also eliminated in the first round of the World Grand Prix by Luke Woodhouse and lost to Jonny Clayton in the World Series of Darts finals quarter-final.
