Littler and Kovacs book places in finals

The 2023 Holiday Inn Express Junior World Darts Finals saw intense competition among 138 players that had converged on the Rock for this year’s competition.
Representing 22 nations, and travelling from as far as Australia, New Zealand and Mongolia, the JDC Junior World Darts event once again brought together one of the biggest darts events on the Rocks calendar.
The event, which saw newly elected Minister for Sport Leslie Bruzon attend on the first day of competition, this year saw the Gibraltar Darts association merge several events together throughout the week to add to the product on offer. This resulting in a week-long darts festival which had been highly praised by many of those visiting the Rock for the World Darts event.
The final days saw the MGV Masters followed by the single Junior World Darts Championship which would decide who plays in the finals at the Alexander Palace later this month. The final event was the team event where Scotland was to come away with the title.
The singles event will now see a face-off between Almos Kovacs of Hungary and Luke Littler from England at Alexandra Palace for the Junior World Darts championship during the PDC World Championship on December 17.
Littler, the defending champion, completed what was an exceptional week where he had claimed the youth and seniors Gibraltar Open titles before starting his campaign in the World Darts Championships.
In the semi-finals of the Junior World Darts Finals, he displayed remarkable consistency and skill, averaging 97.32 in a 5-2 win against Archie Self, ultimately sealing his spot in the final. On the other side, Kovacs triumphed over Mason Teese in a thrilling match, securing his place in the final showdown at Alexandra Palace.
Earlier rounds saw Littler exert his dominance, including a 4-0 win over Moritz Linn and a stunning 4-0 victory in just 10 minutes against Aiden O’Hara. Kovacs, too, was to impress with a 4-1 win over Oliver Haughan, averaging 85.99 and hitting a 13-darter.
The quarter-finals saw Littler averaging an outstanding 103.66 in a 4-0 victory against Daniel Stephenson, setting the stage for his clash against Self in the semi-finals. Kovacs faced a tough challenge against Daan Toxopeus, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to secure a spot in the semi-final.
The tournament commenced with a competitive group stage where players competed for a place in the knockout stage entry. Littler, Kovacs, and other top performers demonstrated their form early on, posting impressive averages. Notably, Littler maintained a flawless record in the group stage, displaying exceptional averages in matches.
The Europa Sports Complex, which has lived a week of intensity with near to full stands throughout the week was to see some high-level performances, fierce competition, and the emergence of some of darts youngest top talents in the world of junior darts.
The JDC Junior World Championships becoming one of the main darts events of the year after the PDC’s withdrawal from playing in Gibraltar.
The JDC event adding to Gibraltar’s events-led tourism calendar attracting a significant number of people from across the globe.