Luke Littler slammed for Ally Pally fan outburst as darts star takes intention – ‘Can’t do it’
Luke Littler sparked controversy after his last 16 World Darts Championship win over Rob Cross with the reigning champion slammed for his comments
Luke Littler has been advised not to tell the World Darts Championship crowd that they “pay for my prize money” by former professional darts player James Hubbard. Littler beat Rob Cross 4-2 with Krzysztof Ratajski as his next opponent after his round four win over Luke Woodhouse.
The brutal message to Littler comes after he fired back at the Alexandra Palace crowd for the boos he received during the match. Speaking on stage to Sky Sports, Littler stated: “I’m not bothered. Really not bothered. Can I say one thing? You guys pay for tickets and you pay for my prize money. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come on!”.
Since making this comment to the Ally Pally fans, 18-year-old Littler has faced a wave of criticism. Indeed, ex-pro Hubbard has become the latest to criticise the reigning world champion, suggesting he will be counselled against repeating such remarks.
In a post on X, Hubbard commented: “Christ a lot of Luke Littler fans on here losing their minds. I’ll reiterate…. You can’t go on stage and tell the crowd ‘you guys pay for tickets to pay for my prize money’.”
“He’s world number one, behave like one, and represent the sport properly, end of. If a footballer came out and said that there would be uproar.
“He’s young, it’s a learning curve and I can guarantee you he’ll be advised not to do it again.”
Despite his frustration, Littler delivered an outstanding performance against Cross, averaging more than 106 and hitting a remarkable 17 180s. Cross, on the other hand, averaged close to 99 and pushed ‘the Nuke’ right to the wire.
Littler stormed into a 3-1 advantage at one stage but Cross fought back, claiming the fifth set and forcing the world No. 1 into a deciding leg in the sixth.
Nevertheless, it was ‘the Nuke’ who booked his place in the quarter-finals with a 4-2 victory.
“It was a tough challenge,” Littler reflected. “A tough test. The first set everyone got on myself a little bit. I gave it to the crowd. Throughout the game, they remember that. I had to get on with the job.
“I just had to let all my emotions out. I was up for it. I have no idea who they were. People in the stands, a few tables at the front. I just had to get on with it.”
If Littler beats Ratajski in the quarter-final on New Year’s Day, he could then face Jonny Clayton in the semi-final but he will have to first get past Ryan Searle.
Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock or Gian van Veen are all possible opponents for the final on Saturday.
