Littler Shrugs Off Hostile Rotterdam Crowd with Confidence

Luke Littler remained unfazed by the hostile Rotterdam crowd during Night 11 of the Premier League Darts, stating that the booing was "exactly what I expected". The crowd's negative reaction stemmed from Littler's previous spat with Dutch No 1 Gian van Veen from Night Nine in Manchester, where Van Veen won a controversial match. Littler had reacted angrily after Van Veen turned towards him when throwing match darts, with the Dutchman claiming Littler was "out of order" for "celebrating towards the crowd". Despite the crowd's hostility, Littler reached the final again in Rotterdam before losing to Premier League leader Jonny Clayton. Littler told Sky Sports, "It was exactly what I expected, the boos and whistles, but I knew as soon as I got on stage I could do my job." In his semi-final clash with Luke Humphries, Littler gave a gesture of 'calm down' to a section of fans and added some flamboyant flourishes with his darts in the next leg. Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle commented, "Littler said he will not react [to the crowd], but he has just reacted there - and they don't like it! He is strutting and really giving it now. When he has this swagger, he's hard to deal with." Littler ultimately lost 6-4 to Clayton in the final, despite claiming the opening two legs in impressive fashion. Clayton's win stretched his lead over Littler to five points at the top of the table, with Clayton praising Littler, saying, "I've got total respect for Luke. He's absolutely amazing. This guy has got years ahead of him, an amazing darts player - and he's shown us all the level we need to be to beat him."