Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Comment 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. According to Littler, Van Veen appeared to give up towards the end of the match, prompting the comment. The controversy began when Van Veen won a disputed match earlier in April, during which Littler became agitated after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in the deciding 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, suggesting that Van Veen overreacted by putting his darts down and staring at him. Littler believes Van Veen was disrespectful and that there was no need for his actions. He also expressed that when Van Veen won, he congratulated him and picked up his darts. Littler has stated that he didn't see the need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had darts to throw. From Littler's perspective, he was focused on the TV, thinking that Van Veen wouldn't miss his shot. When Van Veen came inside double 15, Littler had a drink, did a fist bump towards his girlfriend and her dad, and acknowledged the fans. Littler feels that Van Veen should have stepped back, looked at the floor, and thrown his last dart instead of staring at him. Littler recently had his worst televised average in Brighton, which he attributed to a lack of practice and not being in the right mindset. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the two did not interact, practicing in separate rooms. Littler doesn't think the incident with Van Veen was particularly heated, comparing it to other disagreements in darts, such as those between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney. He believes the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers and that they will likely talk in the future. For now, Littler is focused on his game, and fans can watch the Premier League Darts action every Thursday until May 28, live on Sky Sports.