World champion Luke Littler hit a nine-darter and averaged a stunning 112.5 to beat Michael van Gerwen and win night seven of Premier League Darts in Cardiff, as Gerwyn Price failed to shine in his home event.
Littler, still just 18, celebrated his third televised nine-darter - and second in the Premier League - and helped him seal a 6-4 victory over seven-time winner Van Gerwen.
It was a chaotic final with Littler and Van Gerwen exchanging seven breaks of throw.
Van Gerwen, who was featuring in his first final of the year after losing five semi-finals in the first six weeks, played his part, averaging 101.41 and taking out 50 per cent of his doubles.
Littler's checkouts were at 42.9 per cent but his scoring power saw him secure a third night win of the season.
His nine-darter was the third in the Premier League this year after Luke Humphries and Rob Cross both hit one in defeat in Brighton on night five.
Littler's victory means he is six points clear of Humphries at the top of the table and his place in May's play-offs at the O2 Arena already looks practically guaranteed.
"I've been playing very well," the teenager told Sky Sports. "I had no idea [if the nine-darter had gone in]. I just had to wait for [referee] Huw [Ware] to call it. Is it? Is it? Yeah.
"I just want to get to the O2 as quick as possible. [I'm on] 21 points and last year was 23 for top four. Last year I didn't want number one, this year I want to try and stay there."
Rob Cross moved to within a win of the play-off spots with a 6-5 quarter-final victory over Markham's Price, who won in Nottingham last week and in Dublin in February but could not repeat those heroics in front of the Welsh crowd on Thursday night.
The pair exchanged breaks but Cross progressed with a 170 checkout in a final-leg decider, before losing 6-2 to Littler in the semi-finals.
Week eight in Newcastle next Thursday sees the league reach the halfway point.
