Cam Crabtree beats Luke Littler 6-5 in World Youth Championship semi-final

Luke Littler's attempt to hold the senior and youth world darts titles at the same time ended with a 6-5 semi-final defeat by Cam Crabtree at the World Youth Championship. BBC Sport reported that the world number one was beaten by a player ranked 68th, leaving Crabtree to contest the final against Germany's Jan Schmidt.

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Crabtree, 23, will meet Schmidt on 29 November in Minehead. The title match is scheduled for finals day at the Players Championship Finals, so the youth championship's deciding match will take place alongside that event. Littler's defeat leaves him out of the youth final despite arriving as the winner of successive senior World Championships.

The 19-year-old had previously won the youth title in 2023, when he was 16. This was his second consecutive semi-final exit in the competition: Beau Greaves ended his challenge at the same stage in 2025. Crabtree has now denied him another opportunity to add to that earlier youth success.

There is still scope for Littler to return to the tournament. According to the BBC, eligibility is based on players being 23 or younger at the beginning of the season, meaning he could enter another four times. This defeat therefore ends his current challenge without closing off the possibility of a future return.

His participation in the separate Players Championship Finals is also unresolved. Littler has skipped most Pro Tour events this season and stands 126th in the Players Championship order of merit. Only the leading 64 qualify, leaving him outside the qualifying places with four Players Championship events remaining.

Two of those remaining events are in Den Bosch in the Netherlands. The BBC reported that Littler recently withdrew from events there after crowds booed him. His youth semi-final loss also follows two other early departures: Luke Woodhouse beat him in the opening round of the World Grand Prix, while Jonny Clayton defeated him in the World Series of Darts Finals quarter-finals. Crabtree, meanwhile, advances to the November youth title match.