Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Comment 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. According to Littler, Van Veen seemed to give up towards the end of the match, prompting Littler's heated reaction. The controversy began when Van Veen won a tightly contested match earlier in April, during which Littler became upset after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in the decisive leg. Van Veen had stated that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which he claimed caused him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now shared his side of the story, revealing that as he walked back around, Van Veen had already put his darts down, an action Littler found disrespectful. Littler expressed that he called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because there was no need for such behavior, especially considering that when Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him graciously. Littler also mentioned that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts, emphasizing that Van Veen should have focused on his game instead. The incident has sparked interest in their potential rematch in the semi-finals of the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam. Littler reflected on his recent performance, admitting that his worst televised average was due to a lack of practice and a general lack of motivation. Both Littler and Van Veen experienced losses in their subsequent matches, with Littler attributing his poor performance to insufficient practice time. Despite the tension between them, Littler believes that such rivalries are common in darts and can actually draw more viewers to the sport. He pointed to past heated exchanges between other players, like Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney, as examples of how these incidents can generate interest. Littler is focused on moving forward with his game, acknowledging that rivalries are a natural part of competition.