WARRINGTON teenage darts sensation Luke 'The Nuke' Littler was stung by Peter 'Snakebite' Wright in Germany on Sunday.
Wright produced a stunning fightback to win six successive legs and beat the Warrington 17-year-old 8-5 in the NEO.bet German Darts Championship final.
'Snakebite' thrilled a capacity crowd in Hildesheim as he recovered from 5-2 adrift, his revival being sparked by a 146 finish in the eighth leg.
And Littler, who was seeking his third European Tour title this year following victories in the Belgian Open and Austrian Open, could not respond.
The Premier League champion averaged more than 106 and hit 10 180s, but despite Wright averaging 96 in reply, his superior finishing proved key.
Wright, who lost form earlier this year and struggled in the Premier League especially, knocked out Michael van Gerwen on his way to the final, overturning a 4-2 deficit on that occasion.
He then edged out top seed Dave Chisnall 7-5 in the semi-finals.
Littler, meanwhile, beat last-16 opponent Ryan Searle 6-2, but his progress looked as though it would be halted by Australian Damon Heta in the quarter-finals.
Littler trailed 4-1 before levelling the match and then clinching a deciding 11th leg, and he eased past Daryl Gurney 7-2 in the semi-finals.
Wright, though, was in no mood to play second fiddle as the former world champion produced one of his finest performances to land a second German title.
“I just kept believing in myself,” reflected Wright, who lifted his ninth European Tour title – a record only bettered by Michael van Gerwen.
“Luke is a fantastic dart player and he was blowing me off the board with 180s, but I thought if I could keep with him, I might get back into it.
“This means a lot to me. Luke is distraught because he wants to win. He’s a fighter, he’s a winner, and he’ll be back and beating us all again soon!”
Littler crashed in 31 maximums across the weekend – a new European Tour record.
“Peter just wouldn’t go away,” conceded Littler, who was eyeing an eighth PDC title of 2024.
“I threw at my best, Peter threw at his best at the end, but maybe the game would have changed if I hit that 150 (checkout).
“Fair play to Peter. He’s played well all weekend, so I’ve got to take it on the chin.”
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