The mother of darts world champion Luke Littler has launched a furious social media defence of her son, branding sections of the Alexandra Palace crowd as "vile" and "t***s" after they booed him during a dramatic fourth-round match.
Hostile Reception for the Champion
Reigning PDC World Darts Champion Luke Littler faced a hostile atmosphere at Ally Pally on Monday night as he battled into the quarter-finals. The 18-year-old, who recently became world number one, defeated former champion Rob Cross 4-2 in a match where the crowd's antagonism became a central storyline.
Littler, guaranteed at least £100,000 for his last-16 progress, is aiming to kick off 2026 by retaining his title and pocketing the tournament's record £1 million prize. However, his path was made tougher by a rowdy London audience who loudly booed the young star.
Littler's Reaction and Mother's Defence
Immediately after his victory, interviewed by Sky Sports, Littler hit back at the spectators. "Am I bothered? Really, am I bothered? Really not bothered," he said, before adding, "You guys pay for the tickets and you pay for my prize money so thank you, thank you for my money! Thank you for booing me."
The controversy spilled into Tuesday when his mother, Lisa Littler, took to social media to fiercely defend her son. Responding to a user who wrote "The more I watch Luke Littler, the more I hate him," she sarcastically replied: "Aww gutted for ya nottt."
In a more explicit post, she fired back at the critics: "So they buy tickets with there hard earned money to sit there like t**ts and boo." When another comment suggested Luke should behave like the world number one, Lisa responded: "Best comment so far am sure Luke will carry on behaving like one as he as done crowds were vile let's all boo the world number one idiots man."
Apology and Focus on the Quarter-Final
Later, in a press conference, Littler reflected on his outburst, admitting he may have "lost it" in the heat of the moment. "I think I lost it, I think it's still on there. The fans have done what they done and I've reacted as any other player would really," he stated.
He acknowledged the hostile environment, saying "nobody wanted me to win," but was proud to have "proved them wrong." The victory sets up a New Year's Day quarter-final against Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski, who beat Luke Woodhouse in the fourth round.
The incident highlights the intense pressure and scrutiny on the teenage sensation, who shot to global fame as a 16-year-old finalist and now tops the sport's rankings, having dethroned Luke Humphries.
