Luke Littler made light of the boos he endured in Liverpool after clinching Night 12 of the Premier League, insisting that the hostile reaction he faced on Night 11 in Rotterdam was "the worst he has ever experienced". Over recent weeks Littler has become accustomed to being heckled by various crowds, with the most intense episode stemming from a heated exchange with Dutch No.1 Gian van Veen during Night Nine in Manchester. The controversy began when van Veen secured a disputed victory.
Littler, visibly upset, reacted angrily after his opponent turned toward him while throwing match darts. Van Veen accused Littler of being "out of order" for "celebrating towards the crowd", a comment that sparked a wave of disapproval from the Dutchman's home supporters. As a result, Littler was met with a chorus of boos each time he stepped onto the stage for his three matches on the way to the Night 11 final in Rotterdam, a venue filled with van Veen's loyal fans. Despite the chilly reception, Littler remained unfazed when he arrived in Liverpool for Night 12 at the M&S Bank Arena.
The Manchester native faced a daunting line‑up, taking on Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Jonny Clayton in succession. In front of a skeptical audience, he delivered a flawless performance, securing his fifth consecutive nightly win. The victory lifted him to within three points of the league leader, Jonny Clayton, with only four regular weeks left in the competition. When asked by Sky Sports about the Rotterdam incident, Littler shrugged it off, saying, "It is what it is – the crowd booing.
I’ve won, and we move on to next week." He added that the atmosphere in Rotterdam was far louder and more hostile than the relatively subdued boos he encountered in Liverpool. "Rotterdam was way louder than this tonight. This week was nothing compared to last week. I just had to forget about it and stay focused on winning," he explained.
Littler emphasized that he had already proven his ability to perform under pressure the previous week, and he repeated the feat in Liverpool. "There is no anxiety there. I just expect the worst, but it was not worse than Rotterdam.
That was the worst I have experienced, and it feels good to come through those games under those circumstances," he said. It has now been three weeks since the original spat between Littler and van Veen ignited a lingering animosity from certain sections of the crowd.
Although the two have not spoken since the incident, Littler believes both players have moved on professionally. He hinted that a future on‑stage showdown could finally settle any remaining tension.
"No, we have not spoken, but I’m not the type of person to go up and talk to him. Maybe he’s waiting for me to talk to him, but I’m not that kind of person. Even in the practice room, people will talk to me first.
I’m not the type of person to be chatting away," he remarked. Littler added that any unresolved issues could be addressed on the dartboard rather than through conversation. "We can obviously settle it on the dartboard. In the back room it has just been normal.
It has just been the same preparation-wise. I think he’s forgotten about it.
I forgot about it. If I need to talk to him, then I will.
I don’t regret anything. Obviously, I had my opinion, he has his opinion, so we are all entitled to it. I think we have both moved on with our game on stage, but off stage, obviously, we’ve not spoken. But yeah, I’m sure we will," he concluded.
Looking ahead, the Premier League Darts race remains open. Defending champion Luke Humphries will be looking to retain his title, while other contenders such as Jonny Clayton and Michael van Gerwen continue to press for the top spot. Fans can tune in each Thursday until May on Sky Sports or stream the action via NOW.
The drama off the oche may have intensified, but on the oche, Littler’s focus remains crystal clear: win each night, ignore the noise, and let his darts do the talking.