This is what darts World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall has to say about Blackpool and Luke Littler

The 32-year-old crushed Jonny Clayton to win the World Matchplay championship at the Winter Gardens last year and now he’s back to defend the title.

He’s straight in with a first round match against Luke Woodhouse, and while he’s happy with the draw, says he needs to be focused. He said: “I need to be on my game or he’ll beat me, simple as that.”

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Nathan famously walks out to Mr Brightside by The Killers - something he says is made even more special by the Winter Gardens. He said: “Everyone knows all the words and they sing along because it’s a predominently English and Scottish crowd. It’s so compact in there, and because the building is old, it echoes and I love it. The sound it produces is unbelievable. For me when you play in the likes of Premier League places, Minehead, the crowd feels miles away, but in Blackpool it’s like you can reach out and touch people. I love it.”

Nathan, who was brought up in Stockport and now lives in Glossop, said Blackpool has always been a special place for him, and he used to visit three or four times a year as a child. Now he brings his wife and two daughters with him when he plays in the resort. He said: “When I play here we rent a house in Lytham and on days off we go to the Pleasure Beach, to the circus, up the tower and the kids spend all their money on the arcades. It’s a great place and in July the weather’s usually okay and it’s nice to go for a walk round.”

A recent study by betting company OLBG has revealed that Lancashire is a hotbed of darts talent with three red rose representatives at the World Darts Championships since 2019. They also reveal that there’s been a huge surge of young enthusiasts flocking to the sport since Luke Littler's electrifying performance at the 2024 World Darts Championships and beyond.

Nathan agrees that there’s an upsurge in interest, but hasn’t noticed an uplift in prize money - yet. He said: “I’ve noticed it in other ways like sponsorships, exhibitions, social media....there’s been a massive influx of 13 to 17-year-olds into darts, and that’s something that the sport needs. It’s been predominently seen as a pub sport where people drink all the time, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Now there’s academies set up and we need to seize on the interest. Kids should be asking themselves if they’re the new Luke Littler.”

And what does he say about Luke Littler? “He’s given us all a kick up the backside. The standard has definitely gone up.”

He added: “I knew he was something special when I saw him play the first game of the Worlds, the way he handled himself. Gilding (his opponent) is a class player and the way he walked on that stage on his debut...that was the moment I thought ‘he’s special’.”

For Nathan, he says he’s concentrating on controlling emotions in the game, and “not getting too ahead of yourself”. He said: “I think it’s about breaking the game down into little stages. If it’s not going your way for 10 minutes, don’t worry.”