Charlie aiming to make his mark on the Darts circuit and follow in the footsteps of Littler
Navan teenager showing exciting early promise
The rapid, unconfined progression of Luke Littler - or Luke 'The Nuke' Littler as he is also known - in the recent PDC World Darts Championships attracted a whole new audience to the game. How could a 16-year-old be so good, so composed, so mature to deal with all the pressures involved; the searching lights, the crowds, the relentless TV coverage? A child basically prospering in an adult's mad world.
How indeed, but cope with it he did and went tantalisingly close to winning the title itself, only losing to the eagle-eyed, the ultra composed, Luke Humphries in the final.
Among those who wasn't in the least surprised by Littler's rapid ascent was Damien O'Connor. A former Irish Masters Youths champion himself he has been involved in the past in bringing some of the big names in darts to play exhibition games in his native Navan and clearly knows the game well. O'Connor and others in the local darts fraternity have been watching Littler's progress in recent years and knew exactly what he could do.
"It's not a shock to us what he is after doing, no shock at all that he got to the final. He won the Irish Men's Open in Killarney, emerging the best from a field of 450 players (in 2021). He has been threatening over the last 18 months to do something really significant. We know him the last three or four years, I just didn't think he was going to do it this time around but he proved a lot of people wrong," said O'Connor.
One of the players Littler took on and defeated when he was in Ireland was Damien O'Connor's nephew Charlie O'Connor, who at just 14 is something of a child prodigy himself. Charlie is the current Irish Masters u-18 champion (a title he won in August). Charlie was also part of a Silver Tankard team that won the Kells Darts League in 2023 with young Charlie winning games against adults, even though he was only 13 at the time.
Last weekend the youngster made the trip over to Coventry for the first in a planned series of JDC tournaments in England this year. He did well too competing in two tournaments on Saturday where he reached the quarter final of the first one and the final of the second one. On Sunday, in qualifying tournament three, he was beaten in the first round and in the fourth he made the last eight which was enough to get him a tour card and be part of the JDC advanced tour 2024 (32 players) and automatic qualifying for the JDC World championship in Gibraltar.
Charlie, who is from Townspark in Navan and attends Beaufort College, comes from a family steeped in the world of darts. His grandfather Frank 'Bunty' O'Connor has been involved in the sport for many years and came to forge friendships with some of the great names of the science such as Eric Bristow.
Charlie's mother, Sandra O'Connor, is one of her son’s biggest fans. “Charlie’s such a kind, big hearted youngster. I go everywhere with him, we are great friends. He just loves darts,” she added.
Certainly Damien O'Connor has been taken by surprise in the way young Charlie has blossomed.
"Eighteen months ago I would be beating Charlie 10-0, 10-1, but over Christmas in a tournament in Kells he beat me 3-2 in the group stage. I beat him in 3-2 in the quarter-finals but I had to play very well to do so.
"Charlie was just this little kid, then all of a sudden he is hitting 140s and 180s and not afraid of anybody. He's beaten men and got to three semi-finals in Meath trials. He's beaten adult opponents in the Kells Darts League, he's the youngest player to play in the league never mind be part of a Silver Tankard team that won the title (last April)."
Others on the successful team included Vincent, Conor and Ben Rattigan, Niall McLoughlin, Damien O'Connor, Andy Browne, Eoin Murphy, John Yeats, Oisin Corrigan, Gary McFadden, Robbie Daly and Aengus McLoughlin. "Charlie just failed to make the Meath senior team because the top 16 players qualify, he finished 17th," adds Damien. There is an image problem surrounding the sport of darts but Damien O'Connor says it doesn't reflect the reality.
"A lot of people, parents maybe, think that the pub scene is still very much associated with darts. It's anything but that. The Irish National Darts Organisation will not run youth tournaments in hotels where the bar is open. They will run youth tournaments at 12 o'clock on a Saturday in rooms where there is no bar. Youth tournaments will also be finished by 5pm before the senior tournaments start."
He also points out there are a number of darts academies around the country that cater for youngsters. It's about developing the talents of young players in the proper environment. Charlie attends the academy in Tallaght on Tuesdays. Meath Youths darts is run by Michael Doggett and Richie Timmons.”
There are other benefits for youngsters to playing the game, adds Damien, from helping them to learn to count "lightning quick" to improving their socialisation skills.
"Charlie doesn't play football but he's after meeting a lot of other young lads through darts, and made friends all over the country. Now when he goes to these tournaments he gets into the venue and he's gone, he's away with his friends. It's a sport that definitely helps their maths. I see it in young lads, if it's 143 they need they know straight away treble 20, treble 17, double 16."
Like every other sport sponsorship is a big issue and those involved with Charlie O'Connor are seeking commercial support as the youngster embarks on his adventures in a sport in which another talented youngster, Luke Littler, has already made his mark.