\n<\/p>\n
Littler himself summed up the final when he told Sky Sports after the match: “I have no idea how I’ve done that.”<\/p>\n
In his own words, he was “gone” with Price 5-0 up and allowing Littler to have just one double attempt, in the opening leg, such was his scoring dominance.<\/p>\n
Littler did avoid the whitewash, with an ironic celebration showing he felt it was nothing more than a consolation. But Price then missed three match darts in the next leg, which seemed to destroy his confidence.<\/p>\n
And while Littler was freewheeling with nothing to lose, the 41-year-old tightened up with two more missed match darts as the impossible turned to the improbable, and eventually the inevitable, as Littler pinched a memorable success.<\/p>\n
“It was very strange,” he admitted. “The first leg was a bit of fun, got my 180 and then waved them goodbye because when Gerwyn Price is on double tops he doesn’t usually miss.<\/p>\n
“I was so gone. I might as well as have been off stage, but this is darts, things happen. Darts is a silly old game.”<\/p>\n
Littler finished with a 95.54 average in the final with four 180s and a 50% checkout rate in the end – but the stats hardly tell any of the story as Price went away kicking himself and Littler walking off with the trophy still in a state of disbelief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n