Something had to give. Two lads of the same name. Both stars of their sport in their own way. Either of them would have been fitting and deserving winners of the Sid Wadell Trophy.
One had had the sporting world in spin since the action got underway at the Alexandra Palace on December 15th. The other had been the star of the entire darting season. Winning the last three Majors in the sport prior to the Ally Pally showpiece.
If one was to go on the bare nuts and bolts of the tungsten thrown en route to the endgame, 16-year-old Littler would have been an understandable choice for the turf accountants to lead the market ahead of the last standoff.
However, it’s never as simple as it looks. Moreover, fairytales very seldom come true. In this case, for all that Littler had looked imperious on his debut waltz around the Palace there’s no substitute for experience when the sh** hits the fan.
Mind you, it should be remembered it was Humphries’ first time squaring up to the final hurdle too. Though to be fair to Littler, even though Cool Hand Luke appeared to adjust to the enormity of the occasion with a slightly better degree of ease, the Warrington youngster continued to astound.
Going from being 2-1 down to 4-2 in front in what felt like the blink of an eye. Yet it didn’t seem the same. At one stage, fairly early on, a stat flashed up that Littler had missed a dozen darts at doubles. You suspect it was the most he’d missed in his entire life.
Inches. Neither of them could be faulted if nerves were a factor. Human nature. Keep in mind, also, that while Leeds United supporting Hunphries had infinitely more experience in a lot of ways than his opponent, he’d never been here.
The great competitors invariably find a way. Often coming with bursts of brilliance that because of their timing or impact on proceedings or both swing the narrative in their favour. And, when Littler was inches out with three attempts at D2 which would have put him 5-2 up and instead Humphries cleaned up to begin the overhaul process it was obviously a seminal moment.
So, in many ways, the darts man of the year beat the man of the tournament. The pair of them have the darting world in their hands at present. The rest of us have the pleasure of seeing what they with it.