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Barry Hearn reveals darts trio ready to challenge Luke Littler that are ‘blowing my mind’

Paul Nicholls gives Jack Keene the latest on his stable stars

PDC president Barry Hearn says the next young stars to challenge Luke Littler ‘blow his mind’.

The Nuke’s glitzy Netflix show a week ago highlighted the next crop of talent coming into the sport.

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Barry Hearn has been pleased with the rise of several young darts stars
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Luke Littler faced several darts players on a live Netflix show last week

Jayden Walker, just 14, lost out to Littler in the event while 16-year-old Mitchell Lawrie never got a shot after Fallon Sherrock won her leg over the World Champion.

In recent weeks Archie Self, 17, has become the youngest player to hit a nine-darter on TV and qualified for the World Championship.

Hearn said on talkSPORT: “The talent that’s coming into darts blows my mind. We’re in such a good place. I heard someone the other day, ‘isn’t it getting a bit boring because Luke Littler wins everything?’

“You think, he’s only been here for two years, he hasn’t exactly dominated. He’s not yet, he may well be.

“The man is a great player, but the talent [coming through], and Archie is one of, I can probably reel off a dozen, that just are going to be knocking on the door come Q-School in January.

“They are going to go and want to get their card and these kids are not going to be denied.”

Hearn also believes Lawrie, who turned 16 last week, would have been confident of success against his rival on the Beat Luke Littler Netflix show.

He added: “He must have fancied his chances. It was the luck of the draw really for him because Mitchell Lawrie is a great player.

Beat Luke Littler - Manchester Central Convention Complex
Jayden Walker fell agonisingly short during the Beat Luke Littler event

“We’re looking at him to be the next Luke Littler, can you believe? Luke’s not 20 yet is he, he’s coming up, we’re already trying to replace him. That’s the world we’re living in.

“But Mitchell Lawrie was in group four, the highest-seeded group and once every four balls, one of them played. He just didn’t come out of the hat too early.

“He was left in the hat and I bet his management and him were thinking because Littler looks as if he was tiring a little bit during that, he wasn’t throwing his best darts.”

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