LUKE LITTLER continues on the slow lane to world glory but tossed aside cheating claims made about next rival Mensur Suljovic.
If The Nuke is to become the fourth man to retain the Sid Waddell Trophy, then he will have to do it very SLOWLY.
His past two victims, Darius Labanauskas and David Davies, were not exactly speed merchants on the oche.
And his next opponent, the Austrian-qualifier, Serbian-born Suljovic, is even more methodical with his throw, flicking his dart before he unleashes it at the board.
This pedestrian tactic angered Joe Cullen as he went out 3-1 to Suljovic in the second round on Sunday.
And the angry Bradford man moaned on social media: “The old guard will say it’s part of the game but word it how you will – it’s CHEATING! That’s not darts.”
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Littler, however, is far more mature than hot-headed Cullen, 36, and the 18-year-old does not view it as gamesmanship.
The world No1 said: “No, it’s not cheating. That’s just how he plays.
“I took a bit of notice of the match. Obviously Joe’s felt like he’s slowed it down. It’s not cheating.
“We all know he flicks his flight quite a few times before he throws. He’s doing it until he feels settled.
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“And if he does it a bit longer against me, then I just have to wait for him and throw my darts.
“If he tries anything to try and put me off or slow me down, then obviously I’ve got to be ready for it.”
Littler took 23 minutes to eliminate Welshman Davies from round two on Sunday evening and his average was 97.15, just the fourth occasion in 15 Ally Pally outings he had not gone above 100.
But facing Suljovic for the first time, it might take 23 minutes just to complete ONE SET.
The third round increases to the best of seven sets and Littler says he likes his foe’s walk-on music – (Simply) The Best by Tina Turner.
Littler added: “Obviously, you don’t want to be stood there for long. You’re getting cold and you just want to get on with it.
“Mensur, he’s not going to change for anyone. He’s not going to change for me.
“He’s just going to do his job and wants to win. I want to win. Hopefully we can have a good game.
“His walk-on is one of the good ones. It’s going to be our first meeting since I’ve been on tour.”
Suljovic, 53, channelled his inner Nostradamus when he contacted Littler once the draw was made last month and prophesied that they would meet in the third round.
Littler was taken aback by the contact, saying: “It was on Instagram. I always check my messages and my requests.
“He said something like, kind regards or good luck, see you in round three. And yeah, it’s happened.”
“I think he’s up for it and I’ll be up for it after Christmas.”
The path to glory on January 3, 2026 opened up over the weekend with Cullen and Gerwyn Price – whom Littler could have met in the quarter-finals – out of the competition following a shock 3-0 loss to world No92 Wesley Plaisier.
Not one to get too carried away, Littler had remembered that he could have faced the Welshman, 40, in the last eight in his debut tournament of 2023-24 but it never happened.
Littler said: “I woke up this morning and checked my memories from two years ago.
“It said: ‘Luke Littler’s route to the final in my first Worlds.’ And Gezzy was in the quarters.
“Obviously I could have met him in the quarters again. But yeah, I can only beat what’s in front of me.”
