World Darts Championship finalist Jan van Veen has insisted he cares “very little” what Luke Littler thinks of him after a tense exchange at Premier League Darts in Manchester on Thursday.
Van Veen missed a match dart in the final of the quarter-finals, but turned around to find Littler celebrating in front of the home crowd, with the world champion gesturing angrily at his opponent as he returned to Oche.
Littler then missed his chance to pitch in the game, and during the quarterfinal victory, coach Van Veen did not allow Littler to return, but Littler made a crying gesture to the crowd and briefly shook hands with his rival.
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Highlights of the Manchester Premier League quarter-final match between Luke Littler and Jan van Veen.
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Luke Littler and Jan van Veen heat up in their final quarter-final match in Manchester.
Van Veen, who lost his fourth final of the season to Josh Locke, said after winning his first match that Littler was a “bad loser” and that his actions in Oche were “insane”.
On Thursday night, Littler, 19, posted an image of Van Veen’s comment to her Instagram Story, adding three laughing emojis below.
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Wayne Mardle takes a closer look at the reasons behind the fiery ending to Premier League Darts Manchester’s Luke Littler and Jan van Veen quarter-final.
Speaking about the incident to Swedish streaming service Viaplay, Van Veen said: “No, we haven’t talked about it yet.
“He didn’t approach me either. I saw his reaction on social media. He thought it was funny.”
“Well, I don’t think things between us will get too friendly anytime soon.
“I’m here for myself. He’s a great darter and he’s number one in the world, so what he’s doing for the sport is great, but I don’t really care what he thinks of me.”
The pair will not face each other at this weekend’s European Tour event in Munich as Littler is not entered.
Van Veen, ranked third in the world, will return to action in the second round on Sunday against either William O’Connor or Sebastian Bialecki.
How Van Veen defeated local hero Littler
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Luke Littler has explained his decision to change darts on night eight of the Premier League.
Littler had moved to the top of the table with back-to-back wins in Dublin and Berlin and was the heavy favorite at home at the AO Arena, but the 19-year-old’s hopes of winning a third consecutive Premier League title were quickly dashed by Van Veen.
Littler, a big Manchester United fan from nearby Warrington, was at his best against Van Veen, who hasn’t won a game since the fourth week of the Premier League and is still recovering from a kidney stone that forced him to miss out in Dublin.
However, Van Veen responded to his intentions by extending his lead to 4-1. Littler improved to 4-3, and van Veen’s chances seemed to disappear after failing to hit a double in the game at 5-3, but the world champion came back to tie the game.
Van Veen’s nerves subsided and he waved the line for double 15, prompting a rift between the two players. Van Veen then took advantage of Littler’s missed match dart at double seven, and the loser was immediately ejected from the stage.
What’s happening on Brighton’s Premier League night 10
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Luke Littler has explained his decision to change darts on night eight of the Premier League.
The BetMGM Premier League season continues until night 10 in Brighton next Thursday when Michael van Gerwen takes on Van Veen in an all-Dutch showdown.
Luke Humphries and Jonny Clayton will face off in the opening match of the night, Gerwyn Price will take on Josh Locke and Littler and Stephen Bunting will meet in the quarter-finals.
Ranking points will be awarded each night with five points awarded to the winner, three points to the runners-up and two points to the semi-finalists to form the league table and the top four players will advance to the final night at London’s O2 on May 28th.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title and you can watch the match every Thursday on Sky Sports until May. Stream darts and other top sports now.
