Littler Faces Backlash in Brighton - Was His Departure a Fallout from Van Veen Dispute?

Luke Littler faced a hostile crowd in Brighton, recording his lowest televised PDC average in a loss to Stephen Bunting. Wayne Mardle believes Littler's early exit from the Premier League quarter-final was a direct result of his spat with Gian van Veen the previous week. A week after the highly publicized dispute, the world champion suffered another last-eight loss, appearing unsettled by the crowd's reaction. Littler was booed upon entering the Brighton Centre and endured ironic cheers during a poor start, from which he couldn't recover. His opponent, Bunting, could have secured a more comfortable win, given the multiple opportunities he was afforded on Littler's throw. Littler, who changed darts throughout the match, showed little emotion in response to the loss, averaging only 83.94 and failing to hit a single maximum - his lowest average in a televised PDC match. Former Premier League star Mardle felt that pre-match favorite Littler was nowhere near his usual standard, suffering another early exit. Mardle stated, 'I'm assuming tonight was a reaction to last week, although I don't know. Littler looked quite flat, there were points where he was lobbing the darts, not petulantly but not with directness he normally throws.' Bunting addressed the boos directed towards Littler, saying, 'Thankfully, he is human! It's tough because the crowd was giving him some stick. I like Luke because he's a fantastic lad and I don't like to see that.' Three-time world champion John Part admitted Littler 'didn't look interested' during his subdued display, saying, 'Stephen did what he had to do. It must have been off-putting watching Luke and how he played.' Jonny Clayton ultimately moved three points ahead of Littler in the table by producing a stunning comeback to beat seven-time champion Michael Van Gerwen in a gripping final. After his win, Clayton confirmed that Littler and Van Veen practiced in different rooms at the Brighton Centre. The 2021 Premier League champion struck a majestic 140 checkout to take a 1-0 lead in the final against Van Gerwen but found himself trailing 3-1 and then 5-2 after a fantastic surge by Van Gerwen. However, Clayton rallied in a remarkable comeback, surviving two match darts at 5-2 down and another pair of match darts at 5-4 down before levelling the contest with another 84 kill on the bullseye to make it 5-5. Clayton then saw out the last-leg decider with a composed 12-darter to complete the comeback and seal nightly victory on the south coast in style. Clayton admitted, 'I thought the game was over,' but he took advantage of Van Gerwen's missed chances to secure the win. The BetMGM Premier League moves to Rotterdam for another crucial night of action, with Dutch No 1 Gian van Veen hosting Luke Humphries, and home hero Michael van Gerwen facing Jonny Clayton. Luke Littler will face Gerwyn Price in a crucial battle near the top of the table, while Stephen Bunting hopes to make further inroads towards the Play-Offs as he takes on Josh Rock.