Luke Littler was 'prepared for boos' in Rotterdam on Night 11 of 2026 Premier League Darts season

Thursday, 16 April 2026 23:24

Luke Littler said the hostile reception he received from the Rotterdam crowd during Night 11 of the Premier League Darts was "exactly what I expected".

Littler was booed to the stage for each of his three matches in his run to the final, continuing a theme that has followed his spat with Dutch No 1 Gian van Veen from Night Nine in Manchester.

Van Veen won a controversial match in which Littler reacted angrily after his opponent turned towards him when throwing match darts, the Dutchman saying Littler was "out of order" for "celebrating towards the crowd".

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Littler reached the final again in Rotterdam before losing to Premier League leader Jonny Clayton.

"It was exactly what I expected, the boos and whistles," Littler told Sky Sports.

"But I knew as soon as I got on stage I could do my job."

Ahead of his opening match against Gerwyn Price, Littler had said there would be "no reaction" from him to the taunts of the crowd, but he couldn't resist in his semi-final clash with Luke Humphries.

When taking out tops to level the match at 2-2, Littler gave a gesture of 'calm down' to a section of fans before adding a few flamboyant flourishes with his darts in the next leg.

"Littler said he will not react [to the crowd], but he has just reacted there - and they don't like it!" Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle said on commentary.

"I think he's had enough of not reacting. He is strutting and really giving it now.

"When he has this swagger, he's hard to deal with. He's giving it the full repertoire. I like it!"

Littler came through 6-3 against Price and edged out Humphries 6-5 before ultimately coming unstuck in the final, losing 6-4 to Clayton after claiming the opening two legs in impressive fashion.

Clayton's fourth nightly win of the 2026 campaign, and second in succession after also emerging victorious last week at Brighton, stretches his lead over Littler to five points at the top of the table.

Clayton was full of praise for Little after the final, saying: "I've got total respect for Luke. He's absolutely amazing.

"This guy has got years ahead of him, an amazing darts player - and he's shown us all the level we need to be to beat him.

"But this old dog has got some life in him yet."

Sky Sports' Glen Durrant also praised Littler for how he responded to the taunts of the Dutch crowd throughout the night.

"It's brutal in here tonight," Durrant said. "I'm not sure I would have had the mental capacity to deal with it, but Littler is different."

Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries is defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.