Luke Littler Clashes with Rotterdam Crowd in Fiery Premier League Darts Night
Luke Littler found himself at odds with the crowd during his intense Premier League Darts match in Rotterdam, ultimately losing a nail-biting encounter to Stephen Bunting.
The teenage darts prodigy was met with loud boos from the crowd, particularly when he paused mid-match to change his darts. Littler, trailing 5-2 at the time, was attempting a comeback and took his time selecting the right set of darts. His actions, however, didn’t sit well with the audience inside the Ahoy Arena.
Visibly irritated, Littler responded with a scowl and a sharp hand gesture toward the crowd. The 18-year-old repeated the intense expression later in the match, especially as he clawed back to level the score 5-5, building momentum toward what could have been a stunning recovery.
Despite the shift in energy, Bunting kept his composure and sealed the victory in the deciding leg, securing his second final in three weeks. Littler, already a four-time nightly winner in the competition, missed out on a record-breaking fifth win — though with five nights left before the playoffs, he remains a strong contender.
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle commented on Littler’s emotional rollercoaster during the match:
“Littler was a bit animated tonight — one minute against the crowd, the next with them. But when he was 5-2 down, he found his rhythm, and you really thought he’d take it.”
Mardle also praised Bunting’s resilience:
“Full credit to Bunting for holding it together in that final leg. The double 12 has been his friend tonight — and that 81 checkout against Michael van Gerwen was easily the shot of the night.”
Bunting advanced to face Chris Dobey in the final, while other competitors like Gerwyn Price voiced concerns about the playing conditions in Rotterdam.
