DARTS ACE SLAMS CROWD FOR OBSESSION WITH LITTLER

LUKE LITTLER was BOOED all night in Rotterdam as the crowd turned on him and ignored their own stars.

Former pro Vincent van der Voort slammed the Ahoy atmosphere for focusing almost entirely on targeting the teenage sensation. 

World No.1 Luke Littler has already been jeered in recent weeks following his spat with Gian van Veen and the Manchester United fan is braced for more of the same when he heads to Merseyside for Night 12 of the Premier League. 

But Van der Voort claims things went over the line in his home country, with fans more interested in barracking Littler than backing Dutch duo Van Veen and Michael van Gerwen. 

He told the Darts Draait Door Podcast: “It seemed to dominate the whole evening.

“The main theme seemed to be booing Littler instead of supporting the Dutch players. It would’ve been better if the crowd focused on creating a great atmosphere. 

“That’s fine, booing Littler. But actually also, it was Van Veen’s first time, I kind of hoped they were a bit behind him. Chanting his name constantly. That disappointed me. 

“With Michael it was also much less than normal. 

“It’s about the type of crowd. Now it’s more of an event crowd—people coming for a night out. That changes everything. 

“In the early years at Ahoy, it was real darts fans creating an incredible atmosphere. Even English managers and the PDC were amazed. 

“It’s different now. They’re focused on Littler the whole time.” 

Despite the hostile reception, Littler still delivered, beating Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries while being constantly heckled to reach the final. 

But The Nuke fell short against Jonny Clayton, who claimed a fourth nightly win to go five points clear at the top. 

Van der Voort admits it would have been a Hollywood moment had Littler triumphed to silence the arena completely. 

He added: “That would have been the best outcome for the whole evening. 

“Everyone was against him. He may not have behaved well a few weeks ago, but this would have been a great sports story. 

“He went for it. At the start of the final I thought, wow, are we going to see it again—another match like that? 

“But he faded, and Clayton won the match.” 

Littler will face big rival Humphries in the major tournament tomorrow evening at the Liverpool Arena.

Image by Taylor Lanning.