Sky Sports Darts analyst Mark Webster is confident that Luke "The Nuke" Littler will not abandon his darts career because of the way some spectators treat him, even though the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is working hard to eradicate whistling from venues. Webster acknowledges that boos are likely to remain a permanent feature of the sport, but he believes Littler will adapt rather than walk away.
Littler entered the 2026 World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam with the ambition of completing a clean sweep of every major PDC title that year. His dream was shattered on Sunday when he suffered a heavy 10-4 loss to Jonny Clayton in the quarter‑finals.
While the defeat itself made headlines, the real buzz surrounding the tournament was the ongoing tension between Littler and certain sections of the crowd. Earlier in the event, Littler threatened to boycott future Dutch tournaments after he was met with a chorus of boos and a stream of whistles following his victory over Nathan Aspinall.
The atmosphere grew even more hostile when he faced home favourite Danny Noppert on Friday, and the situation escalated on Saturday when referee Charlie Corstorphine had to step in during Littler’s last‑16 win over Aspinall to calm the audience. Littler is not new to confronting volatile crowds.
He previously refused to travel to German European Tour stops after experiencing similar treatment from fans there. Nevertheless, Webster does not think the young star will abandon darts altogether because of these incidents. "No, I don’t think he’s going to walk away from the sport over this," Webster said. "He was obviously very upset about how he was treated in the Netherlands over the weekend, but some of the opponents he played – a home favourite like Danny Noppert – he was going to get some rough treatment there as well." Webster explained that while the PDC is actively trying to eliminate whistling – a practice many players find distracting and even harmful to their rhythm – booing is entrenched in darts culture and is unlikely to disappear.
"I’m not saying it’s right, and the whistling, I know they’re trying to take it out of the game. The booing, they won’t be able to stop, but the whistling is something that’s a bugbear to a lot of players at the minute.
The PDC are trying to get rid of it," he added. He also mentioned that security staff are experimenting with new crowd‑control measures, but the intensity of the reaction in Amsterdam seemed to overwhelm even those efforts. "He was saying after games he wasn’t happy with the treatment he got.
I don’t like saying it, but a lot of the booing is part of the game now. He kind of has drawn attention to it by speaking about it," Webster noted.
According to Webster, whistling is more irritating than booing because it can interfere directly with a player’s throw. "The whistling is annoying, and I think it’s a bit sharper when the players are throwing and it puts them off.
A constant boo, I think players can deal with. Luke has dealt with it in the past, and I’m sure he’ll be okay," he said. If Littler decides to skip events in the Netherlands, Webster believes he can still manage a successful season by selecting his schedule carefully. The Dutch leg of the European Tour includes fifteen events throughout the year, but there are also Premier League nights and other major tournaments elsewhere.
"He doesn’t really need to go to the Netherlands, so he can cherry‑pick there. If he does decide to boycott, he can still plan out his year, really," Webster explained. Webster is confident that Littler’s career is far from over.
At just 19, the young prodigy has already amassed an impressive résumé, including back‑to‑back World Championship finals appearances and two major titles. "He’s got a long time left in the sport. I don’t think he’ll leave the sport as early as people make out. He loves playing darts and he’s brilliant at it, so I think he’ll just bounce back," Webster affirmed.
He added that Littler will likely continue to face some rough treatment from crowds, but that this is part of the sport’s tradition of challenging its top players. "They want them knocked off their perch. He gets fired up himself, and I’m sure he’ll bounce back in the right way at the Grand Prix in Leicester," Webster said. Webster also highlighted Littler’s status as the sport’s marquee attraction.
"We’re still in this boom on the back of what he did. There are other players, but he is the main draw. After that run to the World Championships final on debut, and he’s backed up by winning back‑to‑back World Championships.
People buy a ticket to watch him. They may boo him, they may whistle when he throws," he explained. Despite the criticism, Webster believes Littler should not be too hard on himself after the weekend loss. "He was beaten by the better man in Jonny.
He acknowledged that. He was just a bit disappointed with the crowd. I fully expect him to win a few of the majors remaining," Webster said. Looking ahead, Webster sees the European Championships as a key target for Littler.
A victory there would complete his collection of major titles for the season and set him up for a title defence at the prestigious Ally Pally World Championship. "And then obviously go on to Ally Pally and try to retain that, keep the streak going, and just keep cementing his place at world No 1," Webster said. He also noted that longer‑format tournaments tend to suit Littler’s playing style, giving him a better chance of adding more trophies to his cabinet. "These tournaments kind of favour him in terms of longer formats.
Who’s going to compete in there? It’s going to be tough, but it’s up to the other players and to see where his hunger is at in a minute," Webster concluded.
In summary, while Littler’s recent defeat ended his bid for a clean sweep of all 2026 majors, his future remains bright. He can still capture the remaining ranking events – the World Series Finals, the World Cup and the Premier League are non‑ranking, but the four majors still on the calendar (Leicester, Dortmund, Wolverhampton and Minehead) are within reach. Even after withdrawing from two Players Championship events in the Netherlands, Littler remains a strong contender for the remaining titles. Sky Sports will continue to broadcast the sport’s biggest stages, including the World Grand Prix (28 September–4 October), the Grand Slam of Darts (14–22 November) and the World Darts Championship (10 December–3 January).
Fans can stream all action via NOW without a contract, ensuring that despite any crowd‑related controversy, the sport stays accessible to a global audience.