Luke Littler remained unfazed by the hostile reception from the Rotterdam crowd during Night 11 of the Premier League Darts, stating it was "exactly what I expected". The crowd booed Littler throughout his three matches, a reaction that began after his spat with Dutch No 1 Gian van Veen from Night Nine in Manchester. Van Veen had won a contentious match, with Littler reacting angrily after his opponent turned towards him when throwing match darts.
Littler went on to reach the final, where he lost to Premier League leader Jonny Clayton. "It was exactly what I expected, the boos and whistles," Littler told Sky Sports. Despite initially saying he would not react to the crowd's taunts, Littler couldn't resist in his semi-final clash with Luke Humphries. When taking out tops to level the match, Littler gave a gesture of 'calm down' to a section of fans.
Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle commented, "Littler said he will not react, but he has just reacted there - and they don't like it! I think he's had enough of not reacting. He is strutting and really giving it now." Littler won against Gerwyn Price and edged out Humphries before ultimately losing to Clayton in the final.
Clayton's victory stretches his lead over Littler to five points at the top of the table. Clayton praised Littler after the final, saying: "I've got total respect for Luke. He's absolutely amazing.
This guy has got years ahead of him, an amazing darts player - and he's shown us all the level we need to be to beat him."