- Luke Littler, 17, will face Ian White, 54, in the World Darts Championship.
- Before his match, White revealed his unique connection with Littler.
It's not often that an athlete can claim to have faced his opponent's grandfather, but that is the case for Ian White ahead of his clash against Luke Littler.
Littler, 17, booked his place in the third round of the World Darts Championship after a victory over Ryan Meikle last Sunday, as he produced an impressive average of 140.91 in the final set to win.
In doing so, he set up a clash with White, who beat European champion Ritchie Edhouse in the second round, which will take place on Saturday night.
White, world number 57, has not made it past the quarter-finals of a PDC major since 2021, but beat Michael van Gerwen 6-1 in the finals of the Players Championship last month.
Now, however, he has the chance to make history by eliminating Littler from the competition and revealing his unique connection to the teenager.
According the sunWhite, 54, explained: 'When I started playing darts, I played against his grandfather, Phil Littler.
World number 57 Ian White has revealed his unique connection with rival player Luke Littler
Littler (pictured) and White will face off at the World Darts Championship
“That was at Runcorn.” I used to hit him all the time! We play for local teams. I played against him many times. We joke.
“I wouldn't have seen Luke in those days in the pub; I wasn't even born then. That was in the '90s. I saw Phil not long ago. But it was a bad time. It was at a funeral.
“When I talked to his grandfather, he said, 'Careful, Luke is playing well.' But Luke still has to turn 18. He has to have a beer. He has to be with the girls.
'I just want to say that he's from Runcorn, just like me, so he's number 2 and I'm number 1!'
White, nicknamed 'Diamond', first played for the BDO in 2005, two years before Littler was born, before joining the PDC in the 2010s.
Meanwhile, Littler has only competed within the PDC since 2023, but has seen an astronomical rise since his debut.
White said: 'The boy has talent. He has put darts on the map. Everyone wants to come to darts now. All sponsors. That's the best thing that ever happened.
'I don't have any pressure. I'll go out and play my darts. Hopefully, the nine darts will come; I'll probably need about eight against Luke.
While Littler has already won multiple PDC events, including the Grand Slam of Darts, White hopes to etch his name in history with a win at the World Championship.
The furthest the veteran has gone in a televised PDC competition dates back to 2019, when he reached the semifinals of the Players Championship Finals.
Littler overcame a slight scare and secured a place in the third round of the competition
White, before the match, insisted he has “no pressure” going into the clash with Littler.
White continued: 'Look, Luke doesn't have to worry about poll tax. He has no bills to pay. Wait until he has a child himself! At 17, I don't think I was playing darts. His hair was up to here.
'Ripped jeans. Listening to heavy metal. To Donington to see Iron Maiden. With my motorcycles. That's what I was doing.
'I have to go up there and silence the crowd or get them on my side. That will be difficult.
'I've seen one of my tops around the place. But if you look at how many replicas of Luke's blouses people are wearing. “All these little kids love that.”