Gian van Veen has accused Luke Littler of being 'out of order' after a heated exchange during their Premier League match in Manchester. The 17-year-old world champion lost 6-5 in the quarter-finals, but the focus was on his reaction to Van Veen's missed double 15.
Littler gestured angrily and mimicked crying towards his opponent after Van Veen turned to the crowd during his attempt to clinch victory. Van Veen eventually sealed the win and later told Sky Sports: 'He showed he's not a good loser. Celebrating a miss from your opponent, that really annoys me. That's out of order.'
Littler responded on Instagram by posting quotes from Van Veen with crying-with-laughter emojis. Van Veen, who had not won a match since week four, went on to beat Josh Rock in the semi-finals before losing to Gerwyn Price in the final.
Price, who moved up to second in the standings, sympathised with Littler, saying: 'Things like this happen in darts. Emotions are up and down and people get hyped up. I feel for the kid at the minute.'
