David Davies says Luke Littler is a “different breed” but is hoping to cause a major upset when the pair meet in the second round of the World Darts Championship on Sunday night.
World No 1 Littler is favourite for the tournament while Davies has been playing on the PDC’s second-tier circuit, the Challenger Tour.
Davies has been balancing that with his full-time job in the NHS in North Wales and has been working this week ahead of the biggest match in his career.
“I want to provide for people, that’s why I joined the NHS,” said Davies, who is guaranteed £25,000 due to his first-round victory.
“It’s a really difficult decision to make [whether to go fully commit to darts instead], but then it is also self-belief on how far you can go in the professional game.
“As you know the standard is absolutely ridiculous at the moment. People are losing with 100 averages. We’ll pass that bridge, but my main priority right now is the World Championships and then I’ll make that decision in January.”
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Debutant David Davies gives his thoughts on facing defending champion Luke Littler in round two of the World Darts Championship
Davies was unable to follow the draw for the tournament because he was on a cruise ship, but a friend told him about the possibility of facing Littler in the second round.
He added: “No game is easy. Luke is a different breed. He’s blown the sport to different dimensions.
“Every game will be tough. I will be the underdog in every game I play. I haven’t got a tour card but I deserve to be here, so will try my best and see what happens.”
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David Davies will face Luke Littler in the next round of the World Darts Championship after beating Mario Vandenbogaerde, but it was a nervy finish!
Littler: I’m not putting pressure on myself
Littler is looking to become the first player since Gary Anderson a decade ago to defend his title to complete a star-studded 12 months where he has picked up five major ranking titles after becoming world champion.
Littler is on a collision course with Gerwyn Price, with the pair set to meet in the quarter-finals should they both advance that far, and the 18-year-old has admitted he looked at that prospect when the draw came out.
“I wasn’t going to read it but I had a little read of who I could meet. I’ll take it back to my first World Championship, I will take it game by game and see what happens,” he said.
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Luke Littler takes out back-to-back 100+ finishes against Darius Labanauskas at the World Darts Championship
“Everyone’s a rival, anything can happen – it’s the World Championship. If I’m not on my A-game, I won’t win so I have to make sure I play well. But the biggest game would be Gezzy if we meet in that quarter-final. I’m not putting any pressure on myself.”
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live all the way through until Saturday January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
