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 intense 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 contentious 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 claimed Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which led him to stare at Littler, causing Littler to miss match darts and ultimately lose. 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 explained that as he walked back, still looking towards the crowd, Van Veen put his darts down, which Littler perceived as disrespectful. He stated, 'I think he's the one who's not doing his job, obviously being respectful. I think that's the first-ever time I've seen someone put their darts down in front of my face.' Littler called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because he believed there was no need for Van Veen's actions. When Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him, saying 'well done, you got the win.' 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 Van Veen would not miss, given his reputation as one of the best bull hitters in the game. Littler looked up, had a drink of water, and did a fist bump towards his girlfriend and her dad, which is when the fans started screaming. He felt there was no need for Van Veen to look back and stare at him, as he should have stepped back, looked at the floor, and thrown his last dart instead. Littler recently produced his worst televised average, 83.94, in a 6-4 defeat to Stephen Bunting in Brighton. He attributed the poor performance to a lack of practice, stating he 'didn't want to be there' and 'just couldn't be bothered.' Littler had limited time at home and only 18 hours to practice before the game, which did not go as planned. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the pair did not interact, practicing in separate rooms, which Littler considers normal. He believes that everyone needs to move on from the incident, and he is sure he and Van Veen will speak eventually, possibly in the semi-finals in Rotterdam. Littler thinks other incidents in darts have been more heated, citing arguments between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney. He believes the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers, and he is focused on his darts, acknowledging that they have a rivalry, with each having beaten the other several times.