'I'm a darts legend – Luke Littler went against my advice and ended up winning £315,000'

Darts legend Dennis Priestley would have deterred Luke Littler from entering this year's Premier League from fear of exhaustion. The inaugural PDC world champion has reiterated his concern that Littler was taking on too much too soon as he blazed a trail through the sport.

It's just as well darts dynamo Littler would have spurned the tip given just how his Premier League debut shaked out. 'The Nuke' avenged his World Championship defeat to Luke Humphries by beating his namesake in the final and clinching a £315,000 payday in the process.

Littler earned £275,000 for winning in the final, plus £10,000 for each of his four regular-season wins in the competition. The 17-year-old is now set to grace another stage for the first time as he enters his first World Grand Prix on Monday, but three-time semi-finalist Priestley revealed he was far from being sure the teenager was ready for the big time.

Speaking to Express Sport on behalf of BoyleSports, who sponsor and offer the latest World Grand Prix odds, Priestley said: "Obviously he's not done bad so far. He's gone against what my advice would have been. I would not have put him in the Premier League so quickly.

"I would have used him as an extra game... but he proved me wrong. He went on and won it, so who am I to criticise putting him in so quickly? I thought it might have been too much."

Many other darts fans might have felt the same given just how rare it is to see players of Littler's age on the pro circuit, never mind winning with such frequency. In addition to the Premier League, Littler won another £80,000 when he clinched the World Series of Darts with a convincing victory over Michael Smith.

The youngster will celebrate another first when he lines up against Rob Cross in the first round of the Grand Prix. The winner of that match will advance to face either Brendan Dolan or Martin Schindler in what could be a preferable draw for either player.

Priestley, 74, previously advised The Nuke against diving into Premier League waters immediately after his emergence at Alexandra Palace at the end of 2023. His main gripe was down to the hectic schedule, which he feared could disrupt Littler's development.

Rather than stagger the player's progress, however, Littler appears to have revelled in his heightened responsibilities and the demands of an elite pro. In fact, he only appears to be growing in confidence with every major tournament he appears in.

That theory will undergo a serious test when he faces 'Voltage' in his first-round opener at the Morningside Arena on Monday. A £120,000 first-place prize is on offer to the victor in Leicester, with Littler once again out to prove if you're good enough, you're old enough.