Luke Littler v Brendan Dolan: PDC World Darts Championship – live

Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Live feed Key events 54s ago Cross wins the sixth set! 33m ago Preamble Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature 54s ago 09.02 EST Cross wins the sixth set! Cross holds easily to take the set 3 1 against the darts. Chris Dobey looks like he is starting to think the unthinkable. Sets: Dobey 4 2 Cross 2m ago 09.01 EST Cross breaks! Dobey misses D16 for a 104, allowing Cross to return and take out his beloved D18 with the first dart. Cross does have form for astonishing comebacks, most notably against Daryl Gurney in the 2019 World Matchplay semi final – and against Dobey in last year’s Matchplay . But surely he can’t do this. Can he? Dobey 4 1 Cross (1 2 legs) Updated at 09.02 EST 14m ago 08.49 EST Cross wins the fifth set! Luke Littler and Brendan Dolan have a bit longer to wait. Rob Cross has won the fifth set 3 1 to keep his gossamer hopes alive. He had the darts, though, so when the players return Dobey will be throwing for a place in the semis. Sets: Dobey 4 1 Cross 17m ago 08.46 EST Introducing… Luke Littler ‘Incredible kid’: Littler takes aim at world darts title aged 16 Read more Luke Littler demolishes Raymond van Barneveld to keep adventure going Read more ‘A generational talent’: how 16 year old Luke Littler is shaking up darts Read more But how old is he? Updated at 08.50 EST 19m ago 08.43 EST Latest score: Dobey 4 0 Cross The first quarter final looked too close to call, but Chris Dobey – who whitewashed the defending champion Michael Smith in the previous round – is running riot. He leads Rob Cross 4 0 and needs one more set to reach his first World Championship semi final. 161 FROM CHRIS DOBEY! Just look at that reaction! pic.twitter.com/9LrVdsSXnZ — Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 1, 2024 Updated at 08.51 EST 33m ago 08.30 EST Preamble Hello and welcome to live coverage of Luke Littler v Brendan Dolan in the quarter finals of the World Championship. It’s the history maker versus the History Maker, that being Dolan’s nickname*. Before we start, let’s get one thing clear. Luke Littler is not a generational talent. He’s a multigenerational talent. Phil Taylor was 29 when he reached his first World Championship quarter final. Michael van Gerwen was 23, Eric Bristow 21, Adrian Lewis 20. Littler’s opponent today, Brendan Dolan was 45 when he reached the last eight for the first time. Nobody has ever been this good at this age. Whatever he achieves in his career – and there are no guarantees, not even with somebody this good – the memories of this tournament will keep him warm for the rest of his life. He has a helluva chance of reaching the last four today. While Dolan is playing the best darts of his career and has taken out two world champions in Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson, he is still ranked 28 in the world. By rights, or at lesat rankings, Littler should be facing Price (the world No5) today, having eliminated James Wade (world No13) and Peter Wright (world No4) en route. None of that has happened. The draw has been kind to Littler, but then it was kind to everyone else in his section and they couldn’t take advantage. Paradoxically, one of Littler’s main concerns ahead is how relatively easy it has all been. He’s dropped only three sets and – this is an astonishing statistic – has been behind for only one leg in the entire tournament. Dolan, by contrast, won draining arm wrestles with Price and Anderson and should be more battle hardened. Littler should outscore him handsomely; Dolan’s greatest strengths are his consistency – he has averaged between 94 and 96 in every game – his nerve and most of all the timing of his finishes. He will feel that the deeper the game goes, the more he can bring his experience to bear. But then everyone has a plan until they get punched in the treble 20. Littler and Dolan are second up so there’s official start time, but I’d expect it to be between 2.30 3pm. The winner of the first game between Rob Cross and Chris Dobey will play Littler or Dolan tomorrow night. Of the four, only Cross has reached the semi finals before. History is waiting to be made. * In 2011 he became the first player to hit a televised nine darter in a double start match. Explore more on these topics Darts PDC World Championships Reuse this content