Luke Littler’s World Youth Championship campaign ended in the semi-finals when he fell to Cam Crabtree in a closely contested match. Crabtree secured a 6-5 victory to advance to the final at Minehead, where he will face Jan Schmidt. Littler mounted a comeback attempt from an 2-0 deficit but was ultimately unable to overtake his opponent.
Littler’s run through the tournament had been largely successful prior to the semi-final loss. He completed the group stage without a loss, recording three victories. He subsequently defeated Lewis Cook in a round that saw Cook establish an early 3-0 lead before Littler engineered a turnaround. The 23-year-old also posted a 6-1 victory over David Fidler and eliminated Archie Self 6-4. His path to the semi-finals concluded with a 6-2 win against Harrison Leigh.
This latest defeat marks the second consecutive tournament loss for Littler. He previously exited the World Grand Prix after an opening-round defeat to Luke Woodhouse. Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle offered analysis of Littler’s recent struggles, noting that the manner of his losses has been concerning rather than the losses themselves. Mardle indicated that Littler has not performed well during this stretch, describing recent matches as scrappy and suggesting the player is underperforming currently.
The World Youth Championship is restricted to competitors aged 16-24 and provides £60,000 in total prize money. Earlier this year, Littler had appeared poised to capture all major PDC titles in 2026, but that objective was derailed in Amsterdam. Upcoming European Tour events include the Swiss Darts Trophy and Dutch Darts Championship, followed by the European Championship in Dortmund, Germany.
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