Littler knocked out of World Grand Prix by Woodhouse on night of shocks

Luke Littler is out of the World Grand Prix. The defending champion lost 2-1 to Luke Woodhouse in the last 32 on the opening night in Leicester on 28 September.

It was a short, sharp shock. Round one here is best of three sets, and Littler started as if the defence would be routine. He took the first set 3-1, signing off with a 106 checkout on double 15 — a checkout being the scoring shot, always a double, that ends a leg The Guardian.

Then the arithmetic turned. Woodhouse took the second set in a decider. Littler fought back to 2-2 in legs, but Woodhouse held his nerve on double 16 to level the match.

The decider was blunt. Woodhouse moved 2-0 ahead and never let go. He sealed it on double 12 to end Littler's bid for back-to-back titles.

The numbers tell how tight it was. Littler averaged 82.41 for the match. Woodhouse averaged 82.51. A three-dart average is simply points scored per three darts, and a tenth of a point between them is nothing.

Woodhouse now plays Nathan Aspinall in the last 16. Aspinall came through his own decider, beating Kevin Doets 2-1.

He was not the only big name to fall. Michael van Gerwen, a six-time World Grand Prix winner, lost 2-1 to Ryan Joyce after taking a one-set lead, ending his run at a seventh title Sky Sports. Rob Cross went out 2-0 to 12th seed Wessel Nijman.

Gerwyn Price had no such trouble. He beat Sebastian Bialecki 2-0, averaging 101.61 and hitting three 180s, the maximum with three darts. Price faces Ross Smith next after Smith beat Cameron Menzies.

For Littler, it continues a bumpy fortnight. He lost to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-final of the World Series of Darts in Amsterdam the previous week, and he missed the Players Championship events in Den Bosch after threatening to boycott tournaments in the Netherlands following being booed and whistled.

What makes this stand out is the stage. The BoyleSports World Grand Prix is one of the Professional Darts Corporation's major titles, with a 32-player field this year and a boosted £750,000 prize fund PDC. The tournament runs from 28 September to 4 October.

Littler arrived as the headline act. He left on night one.