Luke Littler admitted he considered walking away from darts after being booed by crowds, before overcoming Luke Humphries in a dramatic Premier League final at the O2 Arena in London. The 19-year-old world number one won 11-10 in a last-leg decider, earning £350,000 and reclaiming the title he lost to Humphries last year.
Littler, from Warrington, came from 6-3 down to edge the thriller, adding to his record-equalling six nightly wins over the 17-week season for total earnings of £410,000. However, he revealed the crowd's reaction had taken a toll, particularly after an on-stage argument with Dutchman Gian van Veen in Manchester.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Littler said on stage, fighting back tears. “After Brighton, I came off stage and in Manchester I was sat at home saying to Faith: ‘I don’t want to do it any more. Just the crowd every week. I’m down bad.’” Humphries added: “It shows what it means to us as players, on the road for 16, 17 weeks, it’s hard work.”
Earlier, Littler squandered six match darts in a bad-tempered semi-final against Gerwyn Price, winning 10-9 after a flashpoint when Price gestured after scoring 170. The referee Huw Ware warned Price, who later apologised. Humphries beat Jonny Clayton 10-9 in the other semi-final, with Clayton appearing put off by a whistle from the crowd as he missed a match dart.
