Luke Littler agonisingly missed out on a Premier League darts record after losing to Michael Smith in Sheffield.
Littler has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom since making his debut at Alexandra Palace back in December.
Since then, the teenage sensation has been one of the most talked about sportspersons in the country as he continues to impress on the big stages.
Heading into night 16 of 17 in the Premier League, Littler knew his place in next week’s play-offs in London had already been secured.
Despite this, the teenager still had the chance of winning a record-breaking fifth night and also break the competition's record points tally at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield on Thursday night.
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Littler kicked off his record charge with a 6-4 win over Peter Wright, which secured him the top spot in the Premier League table and took him to 40 points, which is the current record points tally.
Speaking after beating Wright, Littler said: “It does feel special. People said I wasn’t ready and the first few weeks explained why I wasn’t ready.
“As soon as I got my first win I settled myself into it and that’s why I won four.”
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In the semi-final, Littler was up against Smith, a win for the teenager would mean he breaks the record points tally of the Premier League.
Despite racing to a 4-1 lead, Littler's throw was broken shortly after which allowed Smith to crawl his way back into the match.
Eventually, Smith had the darts in the last leg and sneaked through to the final by winning by six legs to five.
Smith will take on the winner of the other semi-final, which will be contested by Dutchman Michael van Gerwen and reigning world champion Luke Humphries.
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Both Van Gerwen and Humphries can also clinch a record-breaking fifth Premier League night victory.
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Marcus Chan