Luke Littler hits nine-darter on route to Belgian Open win

Luke Littler hit a nine-darter as he won his first European title on his debut with an 8-7 victory over Rob Cross in a thrilling final at the Belgian Open in Wieze.

Littler's victory over former world champion Cross included six maximums compared to his opponent's five in a see-saw battle.

Cross averaged 108 for the match and Littler 104, but it was the 17-year-old who collected the £30,000 (€35,200) winner's prize.

"I'm just glad to get over the line," Littler said.

"I lost the two legs after I hit the nine so I'm relieved to get the win.

"It's always good to be involved in a good game; me and Rob have battles and we bring the best out of each other.

"I'm really happy to hit a nine-darter, I prefer 144 to 141 to finish a nine because when the first treble 20 goes in I'm confident of following it with another.

"I know the spotlight is on me because I've done so well but I just play my darts and get on with it. I just do what I do."

Follow the RTÉ Sport WhatsApp channel for the best news, interviews, analysis and features, as well as details of our sports coverage across all RTÉ platforms.