Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on why he labeled Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. Littler claims Van Veen essentially conceded at the end of the match, prompting his 'cry baby' comment. The controversy began when Van Veen won a disputed match earlier in April, during which Littler became irate after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in a dramatic deciding leg. Van Veen told Sky Sports that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which led him to stare at Littler. However, Littler shared his perspective on the incident, stating that as he walked back around, Van Veen put his darts down, which Littler felt was disrespectful. Littler believes Van Veen overreacted and that there was no need for him to put his darts down or stare at him. When Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him, saying 'well done, you got the win.' Littler also noted that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. He added that from his point of view, he was looking up at the TV, thinking that Van Veen would not miss his shot. Littler mentioned that he did a fist bump towards his girlfriend and her dad, which is when the fans started screaming. Littler felt that Van Veen should have just stepped back, looked at the floor, and thrown his last dart instead of staring at him. Littler recently produced his worst televised average in the Premier League Darts, which he attributed to a lack of practice and not wanting to be there. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the two did not speak to each other, practicing in different rooms. Littler thinks that other incidents in darts were more heated than his exchange with Van Veen, citing arguments between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney. He believes that the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers and that they will eventually talk and move forward.