Warrington Guardian sports editor Mike Parsons tells how Luke Littler’s darts heroics have changed his viewing habits in 2024 and explains why the teenage prodigy should be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year…

I’M not the only one who has something to admit when it comes to darts.

And before you might be thinking I’m suggesting I could be the next big thing on the oche, that would be a million miles off.

It is only in the past couple of years that I have properly started to take note of the sport at the top level. You can’t watch everything, right?

But this year, throwing arrows at a board has become compulsive viewing for me and all because of the extraordinary rise of one Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler.

The Warrington teenager's journey did not begin with his breathtaking run to the World Darts Championships final on debut at Alexandra Palace last Christmas and New Year time, far from it.

After all, he was throwing magnetic arrows at the age of 18 months, achieving 180s by the time he was six and smashing nine-darters when he first entered his teens. He was winning competitions all over the place and against much older and more experienced players.

And I was well aware of his rise to prominence behind the scenes, so to speak, including twice being crowned JDC junior world champion and copping some five-figure prizes in the MODUS Super Series as an up-and-coming talent showing some big names how it is done.

But what he did at Ally Pally last time around ramped up the appetite in millions across the globe, including me, for more of his unbelievable fairytale heroics.

It was a fascinating watch, to see whether the 16-year-old – as he was at the time – was able to handle the pressure when introduced to the big stage, the spotlight, the crowd, the cameras, live TV interviews, press conferences, overnight global attention on social media, requests for autographs, selfies and guest appearances.

Literally everybody wanted a piece of him.

Could this Warrington youngster soak everything up like a sponge and still keep a calm head on his shoulders to do what he clearly does best – throw darts at small targets with military precision? This is what really pricked my attention.

And after he seemingly passed all those tests with flying colours, and the debate raged as to whether he was too inexperienced to be thrown into the lion’s den of weekly Premier League action on top of the already hectic schedule his first year as a pro would bring, intrigue reached great heights in me to see if he could lift his levels again overseas when the Bahrain Darts Masters came around a few weeks later.

Of course he did, he went one better by winning his first senior title and chucked in a mesmerising nine-darter for good measure – his first of four perfect legs in 2024.

Before we knew it, the 16 rounds of Premier League Darts were upon us and ‘The Nuke’ wasted no time in showing us he was right to strike while the iron was hot and absolutely deserved to be demonstrating his skills to arena audiences across the UK and Europe.

All of a sudden my Thursday nights were sorted and my weekends, too, when he was contesting tournaments – everything was worked around making sure I was in place to absorb every throw.

And my mind wondered as to whether this wonderkid with this special talent had the energy, temperament and desire to maintain jaw-dropping and often record-breaking standards throughout his breakout year.

Well, he went on to win his debut Premier League campaign and the only months that ended without a title were August and October, with his first major ranking tournament success coming in the Grand Slam of Darts in November to take his prize money for the year beyond £1million – so, boxes ticked.

I was transfixed on his performances while recovering from surgery in hospital and while on holiday abroad later in the year – nothing was going to get in the way.

And I had company for it all with my wife. Catherine had never watched a darts match in her life until Ally Pally last time around when I attracted her interest while talking about ‘The Nuke’, but now she has well and truly caught the bug.

We know Christmases have changed forever in our household. If you don’t love the darts, don’t bother visiting us because we’re hooked!

As 2024 progressed, other players also emerged as our favourites to watch and the appreciation of a darts player’s skill and mental strength grew and grew in me, as did the excitement levels when a nine-darter looked on, when there was a big finish, and when seemingly impossible comebacks were achieved.

It is a sport which teases the emotions, swings to and fro rapidly, sucks you in, leaves you gobsmacked by consistent accuracy one minute, then flabbergasted by the near misses, and on the edge of your seat for the big moments that come thick and fast as the legs – and sometimes sets – are played out.

Those who govern and promote the sport, and those who have loved it and been a part of it for donkey’s years, will tell you my wife and I are not on our own.

Thousands and thousands, if not millions, also fell in love with darts in 2024 as Littler fever took a hold.

And it is not just demand for tickets and viewing figures on TV that have escalated significantly, youngsters’ desire to give darts a try has shot through the roof and brought a need for the setting up of academies like the one in St Helens where it all started for ‘The Nuke’.

Interest is rising in local leagues across the country, pubs are enjoying a renaissance with the sport and some darts-themed new establishments are proving to be so popular that boards need to be booked months in advance.

So it’s been a year in which Littler has seen lift off for his career, while playing a considerable part in catapulting his sport to whole new levels.

Few, if any, sporting individuals have had such a game-changing impact in such a short period of time.

And this is why Warrington’s Luke Littler should be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 when the ceremony takes place at MediaCity in Salford on Tuesday night.

A public vote, with the voting details confirmed during the televised ceremony, will decide the winner.

> VIEW: How to vote for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024

(Image: PA Wire)