Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the reason behind his 'cry baby' comment directed at Gian van Veen following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. Littler claims Van Veen essentially conceded at the end of the match, prompting the remark. Van Veen had emerged victorious in a contentious match earlier in April, which saw Littler react angrily after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in the decisive leg. Van Veen expressed to Sky Sports that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which led him to stare at Littler, resulting in Littler missing match darts and losing. However, Littler has now shared his side of the story ahead of the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam, where the two could potentially meet in the semi-finals. Littler stated that what people didn't witness was Van Veen putting his darts down after the match, which he felt was disrespectful. He believes Van Veen was the one not doing his job by being respectful, and that it was the first time he had seen someone put their darts down in front of him. Littler said he called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because there was no need for Van Veen's actions, and that when Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him and picked up his darts. Littler also mentioned that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. He added that from his perspective, he was looking up at the TV, thinking that Van Veen would not miss, given that Van Veen is one of the best bull hitters in the game. Littler stated that when Van Veen came inside double 15, he looked up, had a drink of water, and then did a little fist bump towards his girlfriend and her dad, which is when the fans started screaming. Littler felt that there was no need for Van Veen to look back and stare at him, as Van Veen still had a dart in hand and should have just stepped back, looked at the floor, and then thrown his last dart. Instead, Van Veen stared at Littler and caught him off guard. Littler emphasized that he did not do it to provoke Van Veen but rather to celebrate with the crowd and his girlfriend's family. Littler recently produced his worst televised average, 83.94, in a 6-4 defeat to Stephen Bunting in Brighton, which he attributed to a lack of practice and not wanting to be there. He stated that he only had about 18 hours at home and didn't get much time to practice before the game. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the two did not speak to each other, practicing in different rooms, which Littler says is normal. Littler believes that other incidents in darts have been more heated than his exchange with Van Veen, citing arguments between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney on stage. He thinks that such incidents draw more viewers and create rivalries, but ultimately, he needs to focus on his darts.