Luke Littler lost to Andrew Gilding in the first round of the European Championship

Youngster Luke Littler suffered a surprise defeat in the first round of the European Championship, losing 6-4 to Andrew Gilding in Dortmund.

Gilding showed clinical superiority and took a 3-0 lead over his English compatriot; a run, including a 12-darter throw in the second leg, but fell behind when Littler hit back with three straight legs of his own.

Gilding then gained momentum with an 11-darter shot and saw off the next two legs to win despite Littler once again drawing level, setting up a meeting with home favorite Ricardo Pietreczko in the second round on Saturday.

Unlike Littler, world champion Luke Humphries cruised to a comfortable 6-2 win over Nathan Aspinall.

Humphries hit seven 180s and finished with a 46% payout rate in a dominant display.

He will now face Welshman Jonny Clayton, who beat Chris Dobey 6-4.

However, Scottish defending champion Peter Wright will not take part in the final stages. His bid to win a third European Championship title fell 6-0 to Jermaine Wattimena, finishing with a disappointing average of under 75.

Dutch Wattimena will face Englishman James Wade in the next stage.