Poor fan behaviour marred the final stage of Premier League Darts on Thursday night, with world champion Luke Littler being hit by an object ahead of his semi-final
Luke Littler was hit by objects during the final night of Premier League darts as he failed to defend his title. Littler stormed to top spot in the league phase, finishing 11 points ahead of closest rival Luke Humphries and a massive 25 ahead of fifth-place Michael van Gerwen.
That performance saw him safely into the play-offs, which were held at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday night. He took on Welsh star Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals, with the duo first up on the stage.
Price is infamously a target for supporters, with the Welshman regularly facing intense booing and whistling during games. Poor fan behaviour has marred this season of the Premier League.
On night five, Nathan Aspinall had a pint of beer thrown at him before his game against Littler, prompting the world champion to speak out. Littler himself also faced loud jeering during the event in Glasgow earlier in the season.
That poor behaviour reered its ugly head again on Thursday night in the capital city. Littler was the victim this time around, with Price having been loudly booed before their semi-final even began when a pre-recorded interview was shown on screens.
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After the players entered the stage, Littler was hit by a foam finger as he stood by his table. The finger hit him on the leg and as Littler bent down to remove it from the stage, another unidentified item was launched from the crowd with considerable force.
Thankfully that object soared over his head and did not hit him. Both Littler and opponent Price then kicked the objects off the stage before taking their practice throws.
Price was jeered continually during the semi-final, but still raced into a commanding 6-4 lead. Littler regrouped after the interval and mounted a stunning comeback, winning six of the next seven legs to claim a 10-7 victory.
That sent him into the final, where he faced fierce rival Luke Humphries, who defeated Aspinall in his semi-final. But Littler’s hopes of defending his Premier League title were dashed.
Humphries secured an 11-8 victory to take revenge on last year and win the competition for the first time. Littler was being supported throughout the final by Faith Millar, who is rumoured to be his girlfriend.
Millar cheered on the 18-year-old from the VIP section, sitting alongside Littler’s dad Anthony Buckley and mum Lisa Littler. The 19-year-old is a beautician from Wigan, just 15 miles from Littler’s home town of Warrington
In May, Littler posted a photo of himself having his arm around Millar on Instagram. Littler was left bitterly disappointed to lose to Humphries on Thursday and revealed he would be having a short break from the sport.
“No one likes losing but I am fine. I am glad to say it’s over as it has been a tough 17 weeks. I will be back next year,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“I have set many records and I don’t think they will be broken. I am going to try and break my own records next season. I will have a little break now.”