Luke Littler delivered a pointed retort to Gary Anderson's recent critique of younger darts professionals after reaching the semi-finals of the World Matchplay on Friday.
The teenage world champion secured a 16-14 victory against Andrew Gilding at Blackpool's Winter Gardens to secure his spot in the last four.
When questioned about his interactions with Gilding off-stage, Littler seized the moment to address Anderson's disparaging remarks.
"I do not think he is a big talker, Andrew [Gilding]. A lot of us players, we just get on with our things. As Gary Anderson said, we are boring, so that is what we do!" the youngster quipped.
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|Luke Littler delivered a pointed retort to Gary Anderson's recent critique of younger darts professionals after reaching the semi-finals of the World Matchplay on Friday
The comment directly referenced Anderson's earlier tirade about the newer generation lacking personality and social engagement.
The darts star's grievances emerged during the tournament after his 10-5 win against Luke Woodhouse. The 54-year-old reminisced about past camaraderie with fellow professionals.
"I was sitting thinking the other day, having a talk with [Ian] White, [Adrian] Lewis, [Phil] Taylor, [Kevin] Painter," Anderson explained.
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|Gary Anderson had dubbed young darts players of today as 'boring' prior to Luke Littler's win over Andrew Gilding at the World Matchplay
"We used to sit and have a cracking laugh. Nowadays, I would rather sit like this. Nobody talks to anybody. You do not have a good laugh, you do not have a bit of banter."
The two-time world champion then expressed frustration with the current generation's behaviour.
"The youngsters are boring. Absolutely boring. You talk to them, they are too busy looking at their phone," he stated.
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"They are sitting on their phones with their b****y earphones in. Do not talk to you. It is a completely different life.
"The youngsters, they are here to do their job. They have realised they have got a great chance in life to make a lot of bloody money, buy their first house, then their second house.
"But they need to calm down and think: right, this is my job. That is it."
Littler's quarter-final encounter saw him establish commanding leads of 12-8 and 14-9 against Gilding.
The match appeared destined for a straightforward conclusion before Goldfinger mounted a spirited comeback.
Gilding narrowed the deficit to just one leg at 15-14, threatening an upset. However, The Nuke maintained his composure to close out the contest 16-14.
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|Luke Littler was too strong for Andrew Gilding as he advanced to the semi-finals of the World Matchplay
His reward is a semi-final clash with close friend Josh Rock, who eliminated 2023 finalist Gerwyn Price 16-11. The winner will advance to Sunday's blockbuster final match.
The other semi-final features James Wade against Jonny Clayton.
Both last-four encounters are scheduled for Saturday at the Winter Gardens.