Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on why he referred to Gian van Veen as a 'cry baby' following their contentious Premier League Darts match in Manchester. According to Littler, Van Veen essentially conceded at the end of the match, prompting the remark. The controversy began when Van Veen won a disputed match earlier in April, during which Littler became agitated 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 led him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now shared his perspective on the incident, revealing that as he walked back, Van Veen had put his darts down, an action Littler found disrespectful. Littler believes Van Veen overreacted and that there was no need for him to stare or put his darts down, especially since Littler had not thrown his three darts yet. Littler also mentioned that when Van Veen won, he congratulated him and picked up his darts. The young player expressed that he did not understand why Van Veen felt the need to react in such a manner. Littler also discussed his poor performance the previous week in Brighton, where he produced his worst televised average of 83.94 in a 6-4 defeat to Stephen Bunting. He attributed this to a lack of practice and not being in the right mindset. Despite the tension between them, Littler thinks that other incidents in darts have been more heated, citing arguments between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney. He believes that the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers and create an exciting competition. Littler is focused on moving forward and improving his darts game.