Littler makes brutal admission after crushing 8-1 defeat to Gerwyn Price at Australian Darts Masters

Luke Littler makes brutal admission after crushing 8-1 defeat to Gerwyn Price at Australian Darts MastersThe 17-year-old struggled during the fixture as he failed to win a World Series tournament for the third time this seasonLuke Littler has brutally admitted he was ‘poor’ during his 8-1 defeat to Gerwyn Price at the Australian Darts Masters on Saturday.Price was superior throughout the fixture, with ‘The Iceman’ winning all five of the first legs.Littler amused fans by sarcastically celebrating when he won the sixth leg of the clash.But Price was outstanding and deserved his victory, with the Welshman winning the title Down Under.Littler’s stock has risen after a whirlwind year.He made the final of the World Darts Championship back in January before winning the Premier League at the first time of asking just six months later.Littler has acknowledged that Price was on a different level during their showdown in Australia.And he’s been pretty harsh on himself, too, with the teenager admitting he was ‘poor’ as he looks ahead to the New Zealand Darts Masters.“Fair play to Gezzy. I couldn’t keep up with him there,” said the 17-year-old.“He didn’t miss much [in the final] and he deserved the win.“There’s no excuses.”I was poor in that final, but hopefully I can carry my form from my first two games into New Zealand.”While it was a difficult night for Littler, it was a brilliant one for Price.The 39-year-old’s victory in Australia comes after he won June’s Nordic Darts Masters.And Price says the win will give him a big confidence boost, especially given how Littler was his opponent.“Luke is playing fantastic darts at the moment, and that probably kicked me into gear,” he said.I know I need to play well against every player, but especially against this young talent, so I was right up for this game.“I haven’t been playing well over the last couple of months, but I really wanted to win this one.“We can all hit nine, ten, 11, 12-darters, but the game is all about confidence, and this will give me the big confidence boost that I needed.”Littler and Price won’t have too long to reflect on the result.