Luke Littler said the hostile reception he received from the Rotterdam crowd on the 11th night of Premier League Darts was “exactly what I expected”.
Littler was booed on stage in each of his three matches en route to the final, continuing a theme from his altercation with Dutch No. 1 Jan van Veen from night nine in Manchester.
Van Veen won the controversial match, in which Littler became furious when his opponent turned towards him while throwing a match dart, with the Dutchman saying Littler’s act of “celebrating to the crowd” was “insane”.
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In case you missed it: Luke Littler and Jan van Veen battled it out in the quarter-finals on night 9 in Manchester
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Watch World Champion Luke Littler get booed by the crowd at the Premier League Darts and World Darts Championships.
Littler reached the final again in Rotterdam, but lost to Premier League leader Johnny Clayton.
“The boos and whistles were exactly what I expected,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“But as soon as I stepped on stage, I knew I could do my job.”
Ahead of his opening match against Gerwyn Price, Littler said he had “no reaction” to the jeers from the crowd, but in his semi-final match against Luke Humphries he was unable to resist.
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Highlights of Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price on night 11 of Premier League Darts
After knocking over the top to tie the game at 2-2, Littler gestured to some fans to “calm down” before adding a flashy extravaganza with a dart in the next leg.
“Littler said he wouldn’t react (to the crowd), but he just reacted there. And they don’t like it!” Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle said on commentary.
“I think he’s tired of not reacting, and now he’s strutting and really reacting.
“When he has this swagger, he’s hard to deal with. He gives it a full repertoire. I like it!”
Littler advanced against Price 6-3 and defeated Humphries 6-5, but ultimately faltered in the final, losing to Creighton 6-4 despite winning the first two legs in impressive fashion.
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Luke Littler and Johnny Clayton highlights from the Premier League darts night 11 final in Rotterdam
It was Creighton’s fourth win of the 2026 season and second win after last week’s win over Brighton, extending its lead over leader Littler to five points.
Creighton praised Little after the final, saying, “I have total respect for Luke. He’s really great.
“This guy is a great darts player who is many years ahead of his time and showed all the level we needed to beat him.
“But this old dog still has life in him.”
Sky Sports’ Glen Durant also praised Littler for how he responded to the jeers of the Dutch crowd throughout the night.
“It’s brutal here tonight,” Durant said. “I don’t know if I had the mental capacity to deal with that, but Littler is different.”
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries is defending his title and you can watch the match every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and other top sports now.
