Fourteen-year-old Jayden Walker will compete as the youngest participant seeking to defeat Luke Littler during Friday's Netflix £501,000 Challenge.

The Dorset secondary school pupil feels confident about facing The Nuke because he previously secured a leg against him. He also defeated world number two Luke Humphries in a three-legged exhibition match.

Walker is one of 24 contenders selected to challenge the reigning world champion in a single-leg shootout in Manchester, broadcast live on the streaming platform.

A victory would provide life-changing funds for his Christchurch household, which is led by his single mother and self-employed hairdresser, Jamie. Because he was born six days after the conclusion of the London 2012 Olympics, any winnings will enter a trust fund until he reaches the age of 18.

Junior darts enthusiasts know Walker by his nickname Young Gun. He holds representation with MODUS Sports management and receives sponsorship from Target Darts. The Tottenham supporter is two years younger than Littler was when he reached the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship final at Ally Pally at age 16.

Walker has previously encountered the top two players globally in non-competitive settings. Describing his experiences to SunSport, Walker, one of three brothers, explained, “I’ve played Luke twice.”

“I played him once in Portsmouth where he beat me 3-0 and he had a 125 average - which was ridiculous stuff.”

“Then I played him again at Chester Racecourse. He beat me 2-1. I got the first leg. I won the Bull in the back room. I was happy to get a leg off the world number one.”

“I beat Luke Humphries 2-1 and we both played really well. We had high averages. It was around 102 and he had a 106. It just went with the throw until the last leg.”

“I’m really excited to be on Netflix in general. Even if I don’t get to play Luke, just being on Netflix is a massive achievement.”

“When I first saw him play, I was taken aback that a 16-year-old at the time was beating the likes of Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross and nearly beating Luke Humphries.”

“I was quite shocked seeing someone only a few years older than me doing sensational things.”

“Hopefully in the future when I turn 16, I might give myself the opportunity to be in the World Championship.”

Walker first handled a dart at 18 months old using a magnetic board, similar to Littler's early practice. During the Covid lockdown at age eight, he hit his initial 180 on a standard board. Much like Littler, he played football as a defender with the Generation Elite Football Academy in Bournemouth before shifting his focus to darts.

Two years ago, YouTuber and I'm Celebrity winner Morgan Burtwistle, known as Angryginge, selected him from an exhibition crowd to throw darts on stage.

His 90-year-old great-grandmother will watch the broadcast to monitor his progress, provided no other competitor defeats Littler first. Although it is half-term week, school friends will also watch and support him.

Jayden, who is a Year 10 student, stated, “A few of my friends at school have jokingly said: ‘If you win, can I have a tenner? Or a fiver?’”

“But they’ve been very congratulatory of me, in school and online - on Snapchat and Facebook. Very supportive.”

“Luke has inspired quite a lot of people. When I was younger, everyone in class would reply that their dream job when they were older was ‘to be a professional footballer’.”

“But nowadays there’s quite a lot of people saying they want to be a professional darts player - and that’s pretty much all because of Luke.”