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. According to Littler, Van Veen essentially conceded at the end of the match, prompting the 'cry baby' comment. The controversy began when Van Veen won a contentious match earlier in April, during which Littler reacted angrily after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in a dramatic deciding leg. Van Veen had stated that Littler was 'out of order' for 'celebrating towards the crowd', which caused him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now shared his side of the story, revealing that Van Veen had put his darts down after the match, which Littler perceived as disrespectful. Littler expressed that he called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because there was no need for such behavior. Additionally, Littler stated that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. Littler also mentioned that he had produced his worst televised average the previous week in a 6-4 defeat to Stephen Bunting, attributing the poor performance to a lack of practice and a lack of desire to be there. The incident has sparked a rivalry between Littler and Van Veen, with Littler acknowledging that such rivalries can draw more viewers to the sport.