Littler threatens Netherlands boycott after Amsterdam boos
Luke Littler says he is ready to stop playing in the Netherlands if Dutch crowds keep booing him.
The warning followed two loud nights at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. Littler beat home favourite Danny Noppert on Friday, then edged Nathan Aspinall 10-9 in a last-leg decider on Saturday night to reach the quarter-finals, according to The Guardian. He won anyway.
The Aspinall match was tense from the start. Littler was booed and whistled during the win, Sky Sports reported, and referee Charlie Costorphine had to step in during play on Saturday night. In this format, the first player to 10 legs wins, with each leg a straight race down from 501. At 9-9, one leg decides everything.
Friday had set the tone. Littler's meeting with Noppert was a first-round tie at the Finals in Amsterdam, BBC Sport reported, and the 19-year-old was booed by a crowd backing their own man. Noppert is a former major winner and a home favourite. Littler beat him amid the noise.
Afterwards, Littler was blunt. He said he is 100% prepared to skip European Tour events in the Netherlands if the reception does not change. The European Tour is the PDC's circuit of ranking tournaments held across the continent, separate from the big televised majors. Littler has already stopped travelling to European Tour events in Germany because of his treatment by fans there.
The row is running alongside a remarkable run. Littler has won the first five major televised tournaments of the year and is aiming to become the first man to win all 10 in a calendar year, according to The Guardian. The World Series Finals is next in that sequence. He was scheduled to face Jonny Clayton in the quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.
For fans, this means two stories in one. There is the darts itself, all maths and nerve at the oche, and there is the room, with its singing, fancy dress and fierce home loyalties. Amsterdam was loud. Littler did not like what he heard.
