LUKE Littler showed glimpses of his brilliant best at the Flanders Darts Trophy this weekend.

However, his run was abruptly ended in the third round in Belgium as he ran into an inspired display from Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode.

The Warringtonian teenager, who arrived having already won in Belgium this year having scooped the Belgian Darts Open title, was beaten 6-2 by van Duijvenbode, who averaged just over 101 and hit five 180s to advance to the quarter-finals.

His run was ended there by Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko, who went on to lose the final to Englishman Dave Chisnall.

Littler’s shock defeat came barely 24 hours after he smashed PDC records in beating Jermaine Wattimena in the first round.

His match average of 111.13 was the highest ever for a PDC event in Belgium as he mercilessly hammered his opponent 6-1.

"I knew I played well and I had to, because Jermaine threw everything at me," insisted Littler, who nailed a stunning tops-tops 105 finish in the penultimate leg.

"I couldn't afford to step off the gas because Jermaine was right behind me every time, but I took my chances.

"I love playing in Belgium. The crowds are amazing here and they just love their darts."

Littler now turns his attention to the World Series of Darts Finals – a tournament for which he is the number one seed – in Amsterdam this weekend.

He gets his campaign underway against Ross Smith on Friday evening, with the winner facing either Johan Engstrom or Raymond van Barneveld on Saturday night before the tournament wraps up with quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final on Sunday.

Fans in the UK will be able to watch all of this weekend’s action live on ITV4.