LUKE LITTLER used Gian van Veen’s stunning nine-darter as the spark to power his way to Euro Tour glory in Krakow.
World No.1 Littler shrugged off the Dutchman’s perfect leg and responded in ruthless fashion, averaging a blistering 108.06 to seal an emphatic 8-4 victory in the final.
‘The Nuke’ clinched his FIFTH Euro Tour title in just his 14th appearance on the circuit, pocketing the £35,000 top prize.
Littler became the inaugural Poland Masters champion and admitted Van Veen’s moment of magic only fired him up.
He said: “It’s been a very good weekend for myself, obviously picking up the title.
“Throughout the tournament I felt very good. In the first three weeks of the Premier League I didn’t feel my best.
“But coming here, I needed this one. Now we can take it on to Belfast on Thursday.
“It definitely spurred me on. All weekend I’ve gone off 180 and wanted to go back-to-back to give myself a shot at a nine-darter.
“When Gian hit it, I was like, ‘Let’s get him now.’ He might have been a bit tired and maybe overreacted — but as he should, he’d just hit a nine-darter.
“As soon as he celebrated, I said to myself, ‘Let’s go in.’ It’s just experience. In the past, people have hit nine-darters against me. It’s a big achievement — it’s not easy to do.
“But in a final like this, and so early on in the game, I thought: get him now while he’s overwhelmed.”
Van Veen revealed the emotion of landing his first nine-darter on stage may have cost him a shot at the title.
He added: “I wish I’d missed the double 12. Of course I am very happy to hit the nine-darter, but I think everyone realised that in the next two or three legs I was not good.
“I was so excited about the nine-darter — it was my first on stage — that it cost me the final today.
“I wouldn’t have said I would have won it otherwise, but I think I would have been a lot closer.
“Fair play to Luke, that kicked him on. He probably thought, ‘He’s tired, let’s win this game,’ and that is why he is the world No.1.
“He knows this game inside out. I’m gutted. I am getting a bit tired of losing finals now, but it’s part of the game.
“It’s been a great weekend for me. Here I am runner-up and I am very proud.”
Littler powered past Chris Dobey with a commanding 7-3 semi-final victory, producing a stunning 105.91 average.
The Warrington ace had already underlined his dominance earlier in the night, posting a clinical 98.97 average in a ruthless 6-1 quarter-final demolition of Josh Rock.
Image by Taylor Lanning.