Luke Littler was met with loud boos from the Brighton crowd ahead of his Premier League quarter-final clash against Stephen Bunting — and fan footage captured exactly how the teenager responded to the icy reception.
The reaction came just days after Littler’s heated on-stage clash with Gian van Veen during night nine of the Premier League Darts in Manchester.
In that match, with the score tied at 5-5, Van Veen missed a crucial dart at double 15 and glanced toward the crowd. But after noticing Littler’s reaction, he raised his eyebrows — a moment that initially puzzled viewers. Seconds later, as the cameras pulled back, Littler was seen throwing his arms up and gesturing toward the crowd, prompting boos aimed at his opponent.
Speaking afterwards, Van Veen didn’t hold back, accusing Littler of being “out of order.” He criticised the teenager for celebrating his miss and even making a “crying” gesture, adding: “He’s a fantastic player, but today he showed he’s not a good loser.”
Fast forward a week, and the fallout appeared to follow Littler to Brighton. As he walked on stage to face Bunting, sections of the crowd greeted him with boos. In response, Littler shrugged his shoulders, pointed to his ear, waved toward the audience, and appeared to exchange words with fans.
But the hostile atmosphere seemed to take its toll.
It proved to be a night to forget for the reigning world champion, who delivered one of the worst performances of his career. Littler averaged just 83.94 and failed to hit a single 180 — marking his lowest-ever average in a televised PDC event.
Meanwhile, Bunting marked his 41st birthday in style, securing a 6-4 victory with a solid 91.30 average.
Unsurprisingly, Littler’s performance quickly became a hot topic online.
Some fans suggested he looked like he didn’t want to be there, while others pointed out that although he tried to appear unfazed by the crowd, his display told a different story. A number of supporters also expressed concern, noting the pressure of dealing with boos at just 19 years old after such a rapid rise to fame.
Others were more blunt, calling it one of the worst performances of his career and claiming the crowd had clearly gotten into his head — with one fan describing him as a “shadow of himself” on stage.
Comments are closed.