Luke Littler defends World Matchplay title, breaks Taylor record

Luke Littler successfully defended his World Matchplay crown in Blackpool, defeating Gerwyn Price 18-9 in the final. He set new marks for both the tournament average and the final average in a World Matchplay, surpassing the previous Taylor record.

The win came at the World Matchplay in Blackpool, where Littler retained the title he had held coming into the event. Across the tournament and in the showpiece match, he produced averages that established new benchmarks for the competition. Gerwyn Price finished as runner-up after the 18-9 scoreline in the final. The achievement replaces the long-standing figures associated with Taylor in the event’s statistical history.

The final score of 18-9 reflected Littler’s margin of victory over Price in the decisive match. That result secured the successful defence of his World Matchplay championship. Littler’s performance across the event was measured as the highest tournament average recorded in the history of the World Matchplay. In the final itself, his average also set a new standard for a match at this stage of the competition.

Breaking the Taylor record is a central element of Littler’s accomplishment at Blackpool. The records he set cover both the overall tournament average and the specific final average in a World Matchplay. Those two statistical milestones now stand under Littler’s name for the event. The change in record books was confirmed by the tournament outcome and the recorded averages.

Gerwyn Price, who reached the final, was unable to overturn Littler’s advantage over the course of the match. The 18-9 defeat left Price as the runner-up to Littler’s title defence. The result and the new averages were recorded as part of the official World Matchplay statistics for the event in Blackpool.

Littler’s victory in Blackpool therefore secured back-to-back World Matchplay titles and established new tournament and final averages for the competition. The performance simultaneously defended his crown and replaced the previous Taylor record in the event’s statistical ledger.