LITTLER WARNED NOT TO BITE BACK AT BOO BOYS

By Phil Lanning

LUKE LITTLER must not “bite back” at the boo boys according to ex-World Champ Adrian Lewis.

The teen sensation remains the player to beat having not lost a major title match since October last year. 

Double world title winner Jackpot believes he will continue to get stick because he’s not the underdog anymore. 

Lewis, 41, said: “He was the underdog before and now he’s the world champion and world number one, so the shoe is on the other foot.

“The crowds feel because he’s the one to beat they can boo him and they’ll want to cheer the next underdog instead. I had it in my career and the thing I’d say is the more you bite back, the more it’s going to follow you.

“It will start in the Premier League and then it will move to the majors – you really don’t want that.

“The fans just love an underdog so it’s quite hard to stop the boos, but you’ve just got to ignore it and get on with it. He’s not the underdog anymore so fans will boo him, that’s just the way of it.”

Lewis also believes that Luke Humphries has been in the shadow of Littler even after becoming world champion. 

He added: “He’s one of the best world number ones we’ve ever had.

“The way he conducts himself and how he comes across in interviews. He’s very professional and I think he’s been a real breath of fresh air in darts.

“He didn’t ever really get his moment in the sun when he was world champion because of all the headlines about Littler. He never showed any frustration or animosity about it when I think it’s fair to say most would have had a problem with the fact they weren’t getting any limelight.

“He handled it all so well and whether he was a bit frustrated on the inside, he didn’t show it at all on the outside. He’s been brilliant.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.