Luke Littler produced a record-breaking display to defeat James Wade 18-13 and celebrate Betfred World Matchplay success on a memorable night in Blackpool.
Littler, fresh from landing a spectacular nine-darter in Saturday’s semi-finals, delivered another masterful display to join the illustrious roll of honour at the Winter Gardens.
The Warrington wonderkid was forced to overturn a five-leg deficit against 2007 champion Wade, who was featuring in his seventh World Matchplay final – a record bettered only by Phil Taylor.
However, the World Champion was simply unstoppable, averaging 107.24 and crashing in 17 maximums to add the iconic Phil Taylor Trophy to his growing haul of titles.
“This means absolutely everything,” reflected Littler, who averaged 105.12 across the tournament to succeed Wade as the youngest ever World Matchplay champion.
“Phil Taylor was my idol. He came here and won it 16 times, and now my name is on this trophy.
“This is the one I wanted, this is the one I’ve practised for.
“I’ve really been tested this week, but I’ve shown my character by getting myself out of difficult situations.”
Littler trailed by five legs in three of his five matches this week, launching stirring fightbacks against Jermaine Wattimena and Josh Rock in the second round and semi-finals respectively.
The 18-year-old also won through a 30-leg epic against Andrew Gilding in the quarter-finals, having averaged close to 109 in his opening round demolition of Ryan Searle.
“I have definitely put my family and friends through it this week,” joked Littler, who hit 64 180s across the tournament – shattering Adrian Lewis’ previous record of 56.
“When I was 5-0 down, I said to myself: ‘You’ve been here before, what are you doing?’
“Thankfully I managed to pull it out of the bag and level at five apiece. James then dropped off slightly, and then I found my power scoring.
“The atmosphere has been unbelievable all week, and this win definitely rights the wrongs from losing in the first round last year.”
Littler found himself 5-0 down against Josh Rock in Saturday’s semi-finals, and history repeated itself in Sunday’s showpiece, as Wade established early daylight.
The Aldershot stalwart drew first blood with an 11-darter and converted clinical 80 and 83 combinations to take early control, only for Littler to reply with a blistering five-leg burst of his own.
The World Champion also opened his account with an 11-darter, and this completely shifted the momentum as he averaged 113.86 in the second session to restore parity at five apiece.
Littler then converted a classy 97 checkout to edge ahead at 8-7, before the teenage superstar defied a 116 average from Wade in the fourth session to extend his cushion to 11-9.
Following on from his nine-dart heroics in the semi-finals, Littler threatened to repeat the feat in leg 22, going seven darts into the perfect leg before rounding off an 11-darter to lead 12-10.
The world number two stretched his lead to 14-11 to edge closer to the promised land, yet a resilient Wade refused to relent, backing up a 12-dart break with a 101 checkout to cut the gap to 14-13.
Nevertheless, Littler remained unfazed, restoring his two-leg buffer before following up legs of 14 and 13 darts with a brilliant 115 checkout on double 19 to cap off a famous victory.
Wade was bidding to become the fourth player to win multiple World Matchplay titles, which would have seen him join the exclusive triumvirate of Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Rod Harrington.
The left-hander – also the runner-up to Littler in March’s UK Open – performed magnificently at the Empress Ballroom, boasting a tournament average of 100.83.
Littler wasn’t even born when Wade competed in his first World Matchplay final in 2006, and his Blackpool exploits have catapulted him back into the world’s top five.
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2025 Betfred World Matchplay
Sunday July 27
Final
Luke Littler 18-13 James Wade