A 14-year-old who only took up darts three years ago will be aiming to bury Luke Littler on Friday evening — and use the six-figure prize money to become an undertaker. Makinley Cooper-Johnson, the Wrexham rookie known as ‘Mighty Mak’, is one of the 24 contestants chosen by Netflix for its Beat Luke Littler broadcast.
Makinley Cooper-Johnson (Credits: BBC Sport)
Makinley Cooper-Johnson vs Luke Littler: £501,000 on One Leg
A prize of £501,000 is on offer for the first to win a single leg of 501 against the reigning world champion and world number one. Cooper-Johnson was the second youngest to make it past the auditions, impressing a panel of judges that included darts legend Phil Taylor.
“Look, I’m not saying I’m world class or anything, but I can hold my own,” Cooper-Johnson told BBC Wales. “I’ve got a shot at this. I respect Luke for what he’s done. But at the end of the day, he knows he’s good — but he doesn’t know how good I am.”
Littler won the first of his two World Championships to date aged 17 — barely older than Cooper-Johnson is now.
The Teen Who Wants to Be an Undertaker
If he throws as well as he speaks, the affable youngster may well have a chance at scooping the life-changing sum. Promising to buy his brother a car is first on the agenda — and then setting up his own firm.
“Undertakers never go out of business, do they?” he said with a smile. “Money’s money! Being successful is all I’ve ever wanted. Darts would be an amazing way to go for that, and I’d love to put some respect into the sport and hopefully achieve a lot.”
A Freddie Mercury impression is part of his routine, and there were certainly no signs of being under pressure as hype around the programme builds.
From a Joke Application to a Phone Call From Phil Taylor
Cooper-Johnson almost didn’t hang around to audition. His application was a joke, and his mum Stacie said the family only found out after receiving an invitation to the try-out.
“It was uproar when we got there,” he said. “The queues were miles and miles of eager men and women all wanting to challenge one person, which is crazy to think about. I’d had enough of standing around and was walking back to the car before a steward in a high-vis showed me the queues for under-18s. It was still two hours in the rain, but we finally got in, and that’s where it all kicked off.”
“My best mate Phil! I was in bed half-asleep when Mum came in with the phone,” he added. “When you heard who it was, I was out of bed, stood up, almost saluting, and he personally told me I had a place in the live show.”
He has yet to hit a nine-darter — “that treble 19 messes with me, man” — but he has come a long way since picking up darts to join his brother and father in the living room, “lobbing darts at an unusual board on an uneven wall… it was shocking!”
Mum Stacie, whose own interest in watching darts was reignited by Littler’s emergence, added: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind since the audition, but the family are ecstatic and so proud of him.” The family will be in the crowd at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, where Cooper-Johnson hopes to get an early crack at the champion: “Luke doesn’t like playing earlier on.”
Also Read: Fallon Sherrock Among 24 ‘Amateurs’ Vying to Beat Luke Littler in Netflix’s £501,000 Special
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
