Despite his early exit, Littler remains top of the table while Van Veen – still recovering after missing night seven in Dublin because he needed surgery to remove kidney stones – is up to fifth.
The match was a repeat of January’s World Championship final and the dramatic ending only adds to the feeling that there could be quite a rivalry between the exciting young pair over the next few years.
“Luke was happy that Gian went inside the 15 and he kind of did the Simon Whitlock ‘well done’ and you shouldn’t do that,” former player Wayne Mardle said on Sky Sports.
“As he did it, Gian turned round and he kind of went ‘why did you do that?’
“You’ve got to say that Gian handled it better because Luke fluffed his lines and went too aggressive at the double seven. Gian held it together really well.
“[Littler] didn’t expect to get caught. He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and he won’t be doing that again.”
Three-time world champion John Part, speaking on Sky Sports, added: “I don’t think either player was too far into the wrong. The end of a match can get quite heated.
“Gian handled himself more appropriately in a lot of ways. Luke could have handled it slightly better.”
