Sixteen-year-old Kasey Smith has had a remarkable experience. The schoolgirl from Irlam, near Manchester, faced world number one Luke Littler on the Netflix show Beat Luke Littler. Although she lost her match against Littler, the young darts talent looks back fondly on performing in front of thousands of spectators.

Smith was one of the lucky few selected to take on Littler during the show, which was filmed at Manchester Central on Friday, 24.10.2025. More than 25,000 people applied to take part, but only a small number got the chance to face the two-time world champion.

The 16-year-old was also the only female contestant from Manchester to make it through the auditions. Remarkably, she had initially applied without expecting too much.

“I thought, oh, it’ll be funny to apply and see where it gets me. And then I ended up being on the show.” Smith said to Salford Now.

A remarkable experience for a young darts talent

On the Netflix show, Smith had one leg to try to beat Littler. The world champion eventually came out on top, but for the English teenager, taking part meant far more than the result.

"It was an incredible experience, and I’m glad I got picked for it because now I’m used to the crowd and the energy.”

Fallon Sherrock eventually managed to beat Luke Littler

The reception made a particular impression on the 16-year-old. She walked out on stage in front of thousands of darts fans and even had the chance to sign autographs. It was her first taste of the atmosphere at a major televised event.

Smith’s appearance on that stage is remarkable in itself. She only started playing darts in July last year, after being encouraged to visit a local darts academy.

She has made rapid progress since then. She now competes in regional youth events and is determined to keep advancing in the sport.

Inspiring more girls to take up darts

Smith hopes her appearance on Netflix will inspire other girls to start playing darts. The English teenager believes it is important for more young women to take up the sport.

“I didn’t care about winning. I didn’t care about losing. All I cared about was getting my name out there and promoting girls’ darts and getting more females into darts”, she said.

The 16-year-old already has ambitious plans for the coming year. She hopes to compete in the PDC Women's Series, the Junior Girls Series and the Youth Girls Grand Prix.

She also hopes to support a new initiative for girls at the Greater Manchester Darts Community Hub. Smith has a clear message for other young girls thinking about taking up darts: "Don’t stop, because you never know – you could be the best out of them.”