Luke Littler has shed light on the incident that led him to label Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. Littler claims Van Veen essentially gave up towards the end of the match, prompting the remark.
Van Veen had emerged victorious in a controversial encounter earlier in April, which saw Littler react angrily after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in a dramatic deciding leg. Van Veen stated that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which caused him to stare at Littler.
Littler has now shared his perspective on the incident ahead of the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam. He explained that as he walked back around, Van Veen had put his darts down, which Littler felt was disrespectful. Littler questioned Van Veen's actions, saying there was no need for him to put his darts down or stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. Littler also expressed that he did not see the need for Van Veen to look back and stare at him, especially since he still had a dart in hand.
Littler stated that his gesture of a fist bump was intended for his girlfriend and her dad, not Van Veen. The young player also discussed his poor performance last week in Brighton, attributing it to a lack of practice and not wanting to be there. Van Veen also suffered a loss, and the two did not interact, practicing in separate rooms. 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.
He thinks the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers, but he is focused on his game.