Luke Littler's mother, Lisa, has launched a furious defence of her son after he was booed during his World Darts Championship title defence at Alexandra Palace. The 18-year-old reigning champion defeated Rob Cross 4-2 to reach the quarter-finals, but faced a hostile crowd throughout the match.
In a series of social media posts, Lisa labelled the spectators as 'vile' and 't***s', responding to criticism of her son's behaviour. When one user wrote, 'The more I watch Luke Littler, the more I hate him,' she sarcastically replied, 'Aww gutted for ya nottt.' She also fired back at another comment, saying, 'So they buy tickets with there hard earned money to sit there like t**ts and boo.'
Littler had taunted the crowd after his victory, thanking them for contributing to his prize money through their ticket purchases. He later apologised for his outburst, admitting he 'lost it' but felt he reacted as any other player would. The teenager, who became world number one after dethroning Luke Humphries, is guaranteed at least £100,000 for reaching the last eight.
The winner of this year's tournament will pocket a record £1 million prize. Littler now faces Krzysztof Ratajski in the quarter-finals on New Year's Day, after Ratajski defeated Luke Woodhouse in the fourth round.
