Gerwyn Price beats Luke Littler in Australian Darts Masters Final

The Welshman swept the Warrington 17-year-old aside 8-1 with a devastating show of scoring and finishing that belied his recent form.

Littler, having beaten Price four times in their previous six meetings and performing well earlier in the day, just couldn’t get started when it mattered most in Wollongong on his first visit Down Under.

“I couldn’t keep up with him. It just didn’t happen and he didn’t miss much,” said Littler, who admitted on stage that he was eager to go home but has the New Zealand Masters next weekend before he can do.

“It’s been hard getting used to the sleeping pattern but no excuses I was terrible (in the final).

Littler went into the tournament as the number one seed and having two World Series of Darts titles already in the bag from Bahrain and Poland.

Yesterday he produced a clinical display of combination finishing in his 6-2 win against Australian veteran Rob Modra in the round of 16.

Littler started his Saturday action fighting back from 3-1 behind to defeat his St Helens rival Michael Smith 6-4, levelling the win count in their 10 meetings this year.

And then The Nuke squeezed past Belgian number one Dimitri Van den Bergh 7-6 in a classic semi-final.

But it was almost as if his time away from the oche during the second semi-final impacted his momentum.

He was broken twice as Price raced into a 5-0 lead, with Littler winning his only leg in the last action before the interval.

The Nuke missed a double when he could have made it 3-1 and then four shots at double in the next leg.

When Price held his throw upon the resumption for a 6-1 lead it was clear there would be no let-up and the outcome was inevitable.

In the first game of the day, Smith broke Littler in the opening leg of the quarter-finals, checking out in 13 darts after The Nuke missed the double twice in order to hold his throw.

A bull finish in a 130 checkout from 12 darts put Smith in charge at 2-0.

Littler’s scoring improved as he pulled a leg back in 14 darts but Smith roared back with an 11-dart win for 3-1.

It took 17 darts for Littler to hold throw in the fifth leg and then squared the match after Smith fluffed his lines on double four, allowing The Nuke to sneak home in 20 darts.

Littler got in front for the first time with an 11-darter before a cracking eighth leg ensued.

Seven perfect arrows got Littler to needing 48 after nine darts but Smith hit a magnificent 161 finish with throws of treble 20, treble 17 and bull for 4-4.

Smith missed two shots at double for a crucial break but Littler won in 14 arrows to go 5-4 ahead.

Littler then broke Smith, checking out on 66 after 15 darts, to seal his place in the semi-finals against Van den Bergh who destroyed world number one Luke Humphries 6-2 in his last-eight contest.

The semi-final was a belter, each leg going to throw to 5-5 with both players averaging over 100 and racking up the 180s.

Then Littler looked to have struck gold, checking out in 82 for the first break in the 13-leg match.

But The Nuke missed his match double and Van der Bergh levelled matters, going into the deciding leg with the advantage of throwing first.

Littler got to a double first but missed once for the match.

However, Van der Bergh could not capitalise and missed one shot at double himself leaving the teenager to hold his nerve and complete the job with the second dart of his final visit.