Other players, including world No 1 Luke Humphries, have had to contend with that.

Littler has been outstanding during his career so far, winning the Premier League last year before then proceeding to claim glory in the World Darts Championship in January.

 

Luke Littler has been warned that other darts players will ‘start to dislike him’ as he prepares for the next night of Premier League action

But darts icon Dennis Priestley has now warned the youngster that other players may start to ‘dislike’ him due to the attention he receives.

“Luke Littler or Luke Humphries are the best two players in the world,” he told OLBG.

“But that can all change quickly, you wouldn’t be surprised to see somebody else win in Dublin because there is a lot of talent there.

“When you do have one or two players dominating the sport you do start to get disliked by other players because they want that success – they’ll just get more and more determined to beat you.”

 

Littler beat Humphries in the Premier League in Glasgow last week.

However, both players were left unhappy with the antics of the crowd – with some individuals cheering when players were about to throw.

Priestley, like many others associated with the sport, feels strong action must be taken to stop similar incidents happening in the future.

“The PDC need to spot the culprits and start ejecting them immediately to send out a message,” he added.

Darts icon Dennis Priestley believes Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are the two players to beat in the Premier League“When you’re throwing for a double with all your concentration, a whistle is so piercing it has a real impact on performances and results.

“It needs to be stopped now or the problem could grow.”

Priestley thinks darts fans in Dublin on Thursday night will behave themselves, however, in stark contrast to their Scottish counterparts.

“The arena in Dublin is special because it is more of a U shape which leads to a better atmosphere,” he continued.

“The fans are unique there and really know how to enjoy themselves. It will be a special place to play.”

Littler will be hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened when he played in Dublin last year.

The youngster lost 6-4 to Michael Smith, who then proceeded to make the final.

Smith was eventually beaten by Humphries, with the world No 1 securing victory with a sublime 6-2 victory.

Luke Littler beat Luke Humphries to win the last night of Premier League action in GlasgowLittler’s form has been a little inconsistent ever since he won the World Darts Championship at the start of the year.

But another triumph in Dublin, a week on from his success in Glasgow, would bode well when it comes to his hopes of defending his title.