Despite the victory, Bunting admitted he took no real enjoyment from beating Littler under those circumstances, with the defending two-time world champion subjected to a combative atmosphere throughout Night 10 on the south coast.
All eyes were on the Warrington wonderkid as he returned to action for the first time since his fiery clash with Van Veen in Manchester a week earlier.
The pair had been involved in a heated exchange after Littler appeared to celebrate his opponent missing a dart at a double. Van Veen, 23, went on to reach the final that night before losing to Gerwyn Price, but the incident dominated headlines and spilled onto social media in the days that followed.
That tension carried into Brighton, where Littler was loudly booed as he waited backstage and again as he prepared to face Bunting, with cameras capturing his defiant reaction to the crowd.
After the match, Bunting said: “It’s tough because the crowd was giving him some stick. I like Luke — he’s a fantastic lad — and I don’t like to see that.”
Before the contest, Littler had already acknowledged the possibility of another showdown with Van Veen later in the night.
“Everyone’s looking towards the semi-finals — me and Gian could meet,” he said. “But I’ve got to focus on Stephen. It’s his birthday, he’ll want a win. If we do meet, whatever happens, happens. I’ve got to get two points on the board first.”
However, Littler was unable to progress, exiting at the quarter-final stage with an average of just 83.94 — his lowest in a televised match — and missing out on a potential rematch with Van Veen.
The Dutchman’s own run was cut short later in the night as he was beaten by compatriot Michael van Gerwen.
Speaking afterwards, Van Veen revealed he had not spoken to Littler since their Manchester clash, although he insisted there were no hard feelings.
“I haven’t spoken to him,” he said. “I won’t keep my distance. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing — there are no hard feelings from my side. I don’t know about his, but we’ll see.”
Bunting, meanwhile, chose not to be drawn into the controversy, but backed Littler’s character.
“I saw what happened, but I’ll stay out of that,” he said. “If he celebrates me missing doubles — I know Luke pretty well — he wouldn’t do that to me. I don’t think there was any malice in it.”
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