Littler Explains His 'Cry Baby' Comment Towards 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. Littler claims Van Veen essentially conceded at the end of the match, prompting the comment. The controversy began when Van Veen won a disputed match earlier in April, with Littler reacting angrily 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, causing him to stare at Littler, who subsequently missed match darts and lost the contest. However, Littler has now shared his perspective on the incident, revealing that Van Veen had put his darts down in front of him, which Littler felt was disrespectful. Littler believes Van Veen's actions were unwarranted, saying, 'I called him a cry baby because there was no need for it.' Littler also expressed that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts, stating that Van Veen should have focused on his game instead. The young player reflected on his poor performance last week in Brighton, attributing it to a lack of practice and a lack of desire to be there. Despite the controversy, Littler thinks that the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers to the sport, pointing to past heated exchanges between other players like Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney. Littler is now looking forward to the upcoming Premier League Darts in Rotterdam, where he may face Van Veen in the semi-finals.