Luke Littler had been warned that he was entering the land of the big boys. A former world champion nicknamed 'Bully' ensured the message was delivered on the opening night of the Premier League season in Cardiff on Thursday.
While all the hype and support, from ninja turtles to bananas and traffic cones, favoured a 17-year-old phenomenon, the trophy left with Michael Smith, who beat Littler 6-5 in a quite brilliant semi-final and then crushed the local favourite Gerwyn Price in the showdown.
Within that, there will be a mild sting for Littler, given how close he came to a place in the final on his debut.