Jacob Gwynne believes he can cause an upset against Luke Littler after securing a statement victory over former world champion Michael Smith.
The 27-year-old, known as The Cracker, is targeting a massive £501,000 prize in Manchester on Friday. Gwynne joins 24 competitors taking part in the Netflix show Beat Luke Littler. The Leeds-based player regularly competes on the Challenge circuit and at Q School. Gwynne even cut his honeymoon short to attend auditions in London and feels confident about his chances.
The civil servant prepared for the upcoming tournament by defeating the 2023 World Championship winner Smith. Gwynne spoke to The Times, saying, "It's interesting looking at the comments online, people are saying 'half the contestants are pros' and this, that and the other. I am probably one of the more experienced players but I am not professional. I've beaten world champions before. A few weeks ago, I played Michael Smith at an exhibition and beat him 3-0 with a 102 average, and I can mix it with the best. I've been trying to turn professional, I play local darts tournaments, I might pick up a few quid here and there. But this is not even close to being a job for me. I'm just a regular bloke, I still play for a local pub team."
Gwynne has practiced using one-leg matches against a dart bot while preparing for the money-spinning match against 19-year-old Littler. He intends to use the £501,000 to clear his mortgage and leave his job. Gwynne also plans to spoil his wife if he wins the top prize. He stated, "I've set the dart bot to the highest level, which is what you expect when you're playing Luke. My wife was really supportive about it. If I win, I've promised her a Louis Vuitton bag, and a bigger honeymoon as well."
