Littler warns he may skip Dutch events after Amsterdam hostility
The world champion says he could stay away from tournaments in the Netherlands after facing booing and whistling at the World Series of Darts Finals.
Luke Littler has warned he could boycott future darts events in the Netherlands after being subjected to booing and whistling from the crowd at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
The back-to-back world champion endured a hostile atmosphere on Friday during his win over home favourite Danny Noppert, and the situation worsened the following night.
Referee Charlie Costorphine was forced to intervene during Saturday's last-16 win over Nathan Aspinall as the noise from the stands continued to disrupt play.
Littler, still a teenager, made his frustration clear afterwards. "If the Dutch stay like this I'm not going," he said, according to the Press Association.
The remarks come at a pivotal point in his season. Littler is chasing a rare feat, aiming to win all 10 of the sport's major television events in a single year.
Amsterdam has proved a difficult stop on that quest, with the reception from sections of the crowd standing in sharp contrast to the tournaments where Littler has been more warmly received.
The Press Association reports the incidents unfolded across successive nights of the World Series of Darts Finals, with Costorphine's intervention against Aspinall the clearest sign yet that officials are having to manage crowd behaviour directly during Littler's matches in the country.
No further comment from the Professional Darts Corporation or tournament organisers was included in the reporting, and it remains unclear whether any formal action will follow the disruption.
