Luke Littler had an emotional moment on stage after losing the German Darts Championship final to Peter Wright. The 17-year-old ended up on the wrong side of an 8-5 defeat, having led 5-2 at one point before Wright won six consecutive legs.

After the match, Littler broke down as he sent a poignant message to one of his childhood friends, Ellis, who recently lost his father. He congratulated Wright on his victory before leaving the stage in tears, saying: "Fair play to Peter, he’s played well all weekend and so have I.

"I’ve got to take it on the chin. I have got to give a massive shout out to my friend Ellis. He lost his dad I’ve known him since I was three or four."

Littler went on to explain his thoughts on Instagram, sharing a photo of him and his friend alongside the caption: "Not looking for sympathy or anything, I was just trying to say how my best mate has lost his dad at such a young age.

"I've known Ellis since we were both three, four and it's been on my mind all week. [He's] the strongest lad I know and I just couldn't get the job done as I would [have] liked."

Littler secured wins over Ryan Searle, Damon Heta and Daryl Gurney before coming up against Wright in the final. He made a strong start to the match, rattling off the first three legs before winning two of the next four to move into a 5-2 lead.

It was at that point Wright burst into life, turning on the style to win five legs on the bounce and claim an impressive 8-5 victory.

Reflecting on his triumph, Wright said: "I just kept believing in myself. Luke is a fantastic darts player and he was blowing me off the board with 180s, but I thought if I could keep with him, I might get back into it.

"This means a lot to me. Luke is distraught because he wants to win. He’s a fighter, he’s a winner, and he’ll be back and beating us all again soon."

Littler has enjoyed a brilliant year since reaching the final of the World Darts Championship and becoming a household name. He ripped up the status quo by winning the Premier League title on his debut, further solidifying himself as the newest star of the sport.

The Runcorn native has also won a handful of other titles in 2024 including the Bahrain Darts Masters, Belgian Open and Poland Darts Masters.