'Luke Littler's favourite kebab shop made me need to lie down'

Every great athlete has their own secret to success that allows them to maximise their extreme talent and become a sporting superstar. Some have specific training methods, or superstitious lucky charms to give them the edge, but all know that anything goes when you are pursuing greatness.

In this vein, the great Australian cricketer Shane Warne, who was fond of the occasional beer, smoke and a takeaway, said in a 2001 documentary: “If I don't have my chips, I'm not happy. And if I'm not happy, I don't bowl well. That was a mindset which led him to 708 Test match wickets.

For newly christened darts legend Luke 'The Nuke' Littler, who went on an astonishing and historic sprint to the finals of the World Championship, kebabs have gone hand in hand with success for the Runcorn-born and St Helens-trained 16-year-old. Though, after eating his signature kebab, you might well need a lie down rather than a game of darts, says Liverpool Echo reporter Dan Haygarth.

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In the case of Luke Litter, the 16-year-old darts supremo who took the world by storm on his historic run to the World Championship final, kebabs have gone hand in hand with success. Luke, who was born in Runcorn, trained in St Helens and lives in Warrington, loves a donner.

He celebrated his Alexandra Palace victories with trips to German Doner Kebab, in the absence of his home-town favourite Hot Spot, found on Bridge Street in Warrington. Luke, nicknamed 'The Nuke', almost went the whole way in the tournament, dispatching previous world champions on an amazing run before a heartbreaking 7-4 final defeat against a fellow Luke - the world number one Humphries - on Wednesday