Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the incident that led him to label Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. Van Veen emerged victorious in a contentious match earlier this month, which saw Littler react angrily after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in the decisive leg. The Dutch player had stated that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, prompting him to stare at Littler, who subsequently missed match darts at double and lost the contest. However, Littler has now shared his side of the story ahead of the Premier League Darts event in Rotterdam, where the two could potentially meet in the semi-finals. Littler claimed that Van Veen had put his darts down in front of him, which he deemed disrespectful, leading him to call Van Veen a 'cry baby'. He also stated that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him while he still had darts to throw. Littler expressed that he was focused on the TV, expecting Van Veen to win, and was celebrating with his girlfriend and her dad when Van Veen looked back at him. Littler added that he did not mean to provoke Van Veen and was instead interacting with the crowd. The young player also discussed his poor performance last week in Brighton, attributing it to a lack of practice and a lack of desire to be there. Van Veen also suffered a loss, and the two did not interact with each other, practicing in separate rooms. Littler downplayed the incident, suggesting that other rivalries in darts have been more heated, and is focused on moving forward with his game.