The teenage star found himself under fire after celebrating when Van Veen missed a crucial checkout, sparking a tense exchange between the pair on stage, after the match, and across social media. The Dutchman openly criticised Littler’s behaviour, while the 19-year-old responded with a few cheeky remarks of his own.
Attention quickly turned to Brighton on Thursday night (April 9), where Littler faced Bunting in the quarter-finals, with the fallout from the incident still dominating the conversation. A potential semi-final rematch with Van Veen loomed, provided both players progressed, with the Dutchman set to meet Michael van Gerwen.
Speaking before the match, Littler acknowledged the speculation but remained focused on the task ahead. He said: “Everyone’s looking at the semi-finals, me and Gian could meet. But I’ve got to focus on Stephen first.
“It’s his birthday, so he’ll want the win, but if we do meet again, whatever happens, happens. Right now, I just need to get points on the board.”
Bunting, celebrating his 41st birthday, chose not to fuel the controversy. While he admitted he had seen the incident, he dismissed any suggestion of bad intent from Littler.
“I saw what happened, but I’ll stay out of it,” he said. “If he celebrated me missing doubles, I know Luke well enough—he wouldn’t mean anything by it. I don’t think there was any malice.”
The atmosphere in Brighton proved hostile for Littler, who was loudly booed as he walked on stage. The Manchester United fan brushed off the jeers as he prepared for the all-North West clash.
Bunting made a fast start, taking the opening two legs, while Littler had to contend with sarcastic cheers from the crowd after each throw. The teenager avoided a whitewash, but Bunting responded with a sharp 15-dart leg to stay in control.
Commentator Rodd Studd noted the unusual atmosphere, suggesting the fallout from the Van Veen incident could be influencing the crowd. He said it would be an easy storyline to link any defeat to the lingering tension from Manchester, though he admitted it was impossible to say for certain.
Littler showed flashes of resilience, pulling a leg back during the fifth after pausing mid-turn to adjust his darts, and capitalised when Bunting missed chances at the double. Despite that, the world number one struggled for rhythm, averaging just over 80.
Bunting, meanwhile, failed to fully dominate but still did enough to keep Littler at arm’s length. In the end, the Liverpudlian held firm to secure a 6–4 victory, sending Littler out at the quarter-final stage.
As Littler left the stage, more sarcastic cheers followed, marking an early exit that saw him join Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price among the night’s casualties.
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