Littler Falls to Bunting in Brighton, Exit Possibly Linked to Van Veen Dispute

World champion Luke Littler suffered a disappointing loss to Stephen Bunting in the Premier League quarter-finals, with his lowest televised PDC average of 83.94, and former Premier League star Wayne Mardle believes this exit may be connected to his recent spat with Gian van Veen. Littler was booed by the crowd in Brighton, and despite being the pre-match favourite, he failed to recover from a poor start. Bunting, who turned 41, capitalized on Littler's mistakes and secured a win, hitting just six of his 21 darts at a double. Mardle felt Littler was not his usual self, saying, '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 crowd's behaviour towards Littler, stating, '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 also shared his thoughts, saying, 'Stephen did what he had to do. It must have been off-putting watching Luke and how he played.' Jonny Clayton produced a stunning comeback to beat Michael Van Gerwen in the final, moving three points ahead of Littler in the table. The Welshman confirmed that Littler and Van Veen practiced in separate rooms at the Brighton Centre. The Premier League season continues, with the top four players progressing to Finals Night at The O2 in London on May 28.