Dutch fans jeered Luke Littler as he lost to Premier League leader Jonny Clayton in the final in Rotterdam.
The world No 1 has not been forgiven for a spat with Dutchman Gian van Veen in Manchester two weeks ago and was relentlessly booed throughout the 11th night of action.
Littler came out determined to keep his cool and was true to his word throughout an opening 6-2 win over Gerwyn Price.
The teenager allowed himself a fist pump after finishing the contest on a 124 checkout, telling Sky Sports of the atmosphere: ‘Exactly what I expected, the boos and whistles, but I knew as soon as I got on stage I could do my job.’
A fortnight ago the 19-year-old was involved in a bust-up with van Veen after being accused of cheering his rival’s misses.
In the final leg, Van Veen missed double 15 to win the match, and turned around to the crowd, before throwing again, seemingly frustrated at Littler’s reaction as he said something in his direction.
Luke Littler was booed throughout Premier League night 11 in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Littler paused, before throwing his hand in the air in Van Veen’s direction as if to urge him to hurry up.
After the clash, Littler tried to gee up the crowd, before missing his second and third match darts. As he walked away from the board, he made a crying gesture, seemingly aimed at his opponent, who would then go on to win the game.
Despite the two shaking hands, Littler continued to fume as Van Veen spoke in his direction, and Littler said something to himself as he walked off stage.
After the game, the Dutchman suggested Littler had been cheering his missed darts, which seemed to come after Van Veen’s initial miss before Littler threw his hand into the air.
‘I’m on 90 and miss double-15 on the inside, and then I see him cheering towards the crowd,’ Van Veen told Sky Sports after the match. ‘I don’t think that’s normal.
‘And then he makes that crying gesture too… he is a great darts player, but today he shows that he is not a good loser.
‘Cheering over an opponent’s miss really annoys me. So that’s why I gave him an angry look. That he then misses three darts at a double, that’s his problem.’
Littler’s win over Price in Rotterdam could have set up a rematch with Van Veen but Luke Humphries found his form to claim a 6-2 win over the Dutchman, and his semi-final against Littler was a thriller.
Littler responded to the crowd with a few gestures, which seemed to give him the edge, but a 5-2 lead slipped away before Littler eventually eked out a 6-5 victory.
The world No 1 has not been forgiven for a spat with Dutchman Gian van Veen in Manchester two weeks ago
Littler made the final in Rotterdam but lost 6-4 to Premier League leader Jonny Clayton
Clayton’s path to the final started with a 6-2 victory over Michael van Gerwen, making it a blank night for the home stars, before he battled to a 6-5 win against Josh Rock.
That set up a clash of this season’s top two in the final, and Littler made a storming start, opening with a 180 in an 11-dart leg and then breaking throw.
But he was unable to make it 3-0 and from there Clayton was the better player, with a 6-4 victory meaning the Welshman sits five points clear at the top of the table.
‘I don’t know what happened there,’ said Clayton. ‘I had to do something special because it is my 20th anniversary tonight and I did forget so maybe this makes it all right.
‘I started out slow but, the chances, you’ve got to take, and I’ve taken them again tonight, and that’s all that counts. Luke’s an amazing darts player. But this old dog has got some life in him yet.’
