Luke Littler kept apart from Gian van Veen as details emerge after explosive row

Jack Otway
Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:30:27 +0000

Luke Littler and Gian van Veen opted to warm up in different practice areas ahead of Premier League Darts Night 10 in Brighton, keeping their distance following last week's heated exchange in Manchester.

The 19-year-old world number one and his Dutch rival had clashed during a tense final leg decider where both missed crucial match darts.

New league leader Jonny Clayton addressed the separate warm-up arrangements after the Brighton event, though he dismissed any suggestion of deliberate avoidance.

"Yeah, they're always in separate practice rooms really," Clayton explained.

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"If there's two rooms then myself, Mike [Van Gerwen], and Luke [Humphries] are in one and Gian comes into that.

"I don't think anything of it, it's just the way it happens. Tonight Gian was in with us and Luke was in the one. There's nothing in that."

The teenager's preparation routine, which famously included throwing a few darts and eating pizza before his World Championship final against Van Veen at Alexandra Palace in January, typically sees him enter game mode with headphones on during warm-ups.

However, the approach failed to produce results on this occasion as Littler recorded the poorest televised PDC performance of his career.

The world number one managed an average of just 83.94 as he fell 6-4 to Stephen Bunting, producing a display described as shocking.

Littler faced widespread booing from the Brighton crowd once again, responding by cupping his ears upon arriving at the oche, but his defiant gesture could not mask a deeply underwhelming showing.

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The Manchester confrontation saw Littler seemingly celebrate when Van Veen failed to hit his checkout, before rallying the home supporters behind him.

An intense staredown between the pair followed, with Littler subsequently taking the dispute to social media where he directed pointed comments at his closest recent challenger.

The incident sparked a week of intense examination of the teenager's on-stage conduct, with his behaviour drawing considerable criticism from observers.

Littler's actions at the oche and his subsequent online remarks have placed him under significant scrutiny, raising questions about whether the controversy might be affecting his performances at a crucial stage of the Premier League season.

Darts pundit Wayne Mardle offered his assessment of Littler's subdued display, suggesting the previous week's events had taken their toll.

"I'm assuming tonight was a reaction to last week, although I don't know," Mardle said.

"Littler looked quite flat, there were points where he was lobbing the darts, not petulantly but not with directness he normally throws.

"It would be more of a coincidence if we said it had nothing to do with last week, it was a knock-on from that.

"I thought he was going to be OK but he wasn't. He's going to have to get back on the horse soon."

Van Veen also exited in Brighton, losing 6-4 to eventual runner-up Michael van Gerwen, though the Dutchman performed more respectably with a 94.49 average.