Luke Littler has shed light on the events that led him to label Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. Van Veen emerged victorious in a contentious encounter earlier this month, which saw Littler react angrily after his opponent turned towards him while throwing match darts in the decisive leg.
According to Van Veen, Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, prompting him to stare back, an action that Littler believes was unwarranted and led to him missing his own match darts and ultimately losing. Littler shared his side of the story ahead of the Premier League Darts event in Rotterdam, stating that what many didn't see was Van Veen putting his darts down after the match, an action Littler found disrespectful.
Littler expressed that he called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because there was no need for such behavior, emphasizing that when Van Veen won, he graciously congratulated him. Furthermore, Littler noted that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him before throwing his final darts, suggesting that Van Veen should have maintained focus on his game instead.
The incident has sparked interest in their potential semi-final matchup in Rotterdam. Littler also reflected on his poor performance in Brighton, attributing it to a lack of practice and a general lack of desire to be there, resulting in his worst televised average. Both Littler and Van Veen suffered losses in their subsequent matches, with Littler downplaying the significance of their current rift, comparing it to other heated exchanges in the sport, such as those between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney.
He acknowledged the rivalry between himself and Van Veen but emphasized his focus on improving his darts game.