Ryan Branley hit a brilliant 160 checkout to be crowned the first ever winner of the Luke Littler Legacy Open – and then received the trophy from the Premier League and Grand Slam champion himself.
Littler, the reigning JDC world champion and now the PDC world No 4, flew to Gibraltar at his own expense and in his own time to watch the tournament and hand over the silverware, underlining his status as a perfect ambassador for the JDC and junior darts in general.
The 17-year-old, whose appearance in Gibraltar was a surprise for the players involved, was later spotted giving losing finalist Jack Nankervis a pep talk following his agonising defeat.
Branley was a fitting winner, with the 16-year-old having competed against Littler many times – including in the round-robin stage of last year’s JDC World Championship in Gibraltar.
He beat fellow English player Jack Nankervis, 13, 6-5 in an absolute thriller to land the title, producing darting magic right at the death.
In the final, Branley averaged 92.53 – his fourth 90-plus average of the day – in an absorbing contest between two talented young throwers.
Nankervis was first to break, taking a 2-1 lead, before Branley instantly broke back in 15 darts. Nankervis broke again to lead 3-2 – only for Branley to respond with a 14-dart break for 3-3.
Branley could breathe a sigh of relief as he held throw for a 4-3 lead – and then broke again in 15 darts to move within one leg of glory.
But young Cornishman Nankervis broke throw in the ninth leg and held in the tenth to send the match to a deciding leg.
Branley threw first – not that that had been much of an advantage to that point – and approached his fifth visit needing 160, with Nankervis not far behind on 164. But with Littler himself watching on, Branley produced a stunning checkout to win the title.
The rising star, who recently made an impressive Modus SuperSeries debut, was a deserving winner across the day.
He beat a number of top JDC players, including Daniel Stephenson, Archie Self and Tergel Khurelkhuu in his opening four matches, throwing an average of 95.93 in his 4-2 win over Stephenson.
He beat Hayden Ball 4-1 in the quarter-final, before battling back from 3-2 down to beat Mason Teese 5-4 in the semi-final with a 14-dart leg in the decider.
Nankervis will also take heart from his run to the final, which included a 4-3 win over impressive Belgian Lex Paeshuyse and a 5-0 thrashing of Super 16 champion Joseph Westby in the semis.
Attention now turns to the Holiday Inn Express JDC World Championship, which takes place tomorrow (Wednesday) and will be played as far as the semi-finals. The final itself will take place at Alexandra Palace during the PDC World Championship next month.
RESULTS:
Final:
Ryan Branley (Eng) 6-5 Jack Nankervis (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Ryan Branley (Eng) 5-4 Mason Teese (Eng)
Jack Nankervis (Eng) 5-0 Joseph Westby (Eng)
Quarter-finals:
Ryan Branley (Eng) 4-1 Hayden Ball (Eng)
Mason Teese (Eng) 4-1 Adam Craik (Sco)
Joseph Westby (Eng) 4-1 Luca Fischgrabe (Ger)
Jack Nankervis (Eng) 4-1 Zachary Meeks (USA)
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