Following Luke Littler’s latest clash with a hostile crowd at the weekend, Sky Sports podcast Love The Darts has debated whether it’s time for the world champion to change his approach.
Littler’s bid for a clean sweep of all PDC majors in 2026 was ended on Sunday after a crushing 10-4 loss to Jonny Clayton in the last eight of the World Series of Darts finals in Amsterdam, but the action was overshadowed by the Briton’s displeasure at being repeatedly booed by the Dutch crowd.
After facing considerable hostility during his win over local favorite Danny Noppert on Friday, Littler threatened to boycott future tournaments in the Netherlands after he was booed and booed during his win over Nathan Aspinall on Saturday, prompting referee Charlie Corstorphine to intervene.
Littler has taken a stand against volatile crowds before, refusing to travel to European tour events in Germany as a result of his treatment by fans there.
In the last episode of Love The Darts Podcast, World Series of Darts Finals champion Ross Smith has explained his approach to hostile crowds, which he admits is inspired by three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.
“It’s a really tough situation,” Smith said. “I can’t speak for Luke because I’m not him and I wasn’t in his position, I wasn’t on the scene at the time. I haven’t experienced the whistle too much. I try not to get up in it because I know you’re just going to get more at-bats.
“My manager once said to me, if you look at Michael van Gerwen, he never reacts, he will never react to the crowd. He will always thank them and he never takes too many steps and he is very professional in the way he does things. So, I admire him for that and I try to learn from other people.
“I’ve had a bit with Kevin Doets, obviously the crowd, rightfully so, they’re cheering their home boy. The same with Gian (van Veen), they’re doing the exact same thing, but I think if you’re aggressive with the crowd and you’re letting them know it’s affecting you and making them unhappy.
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Speaking on Love The Darts, Ross Smith feels he is ready to play in the Premier League.
“I tried, with Gian, I joked with them more, you know what I mean? Like a thumbs up to them, but smiling, not aggressively and they kind of laugh at you, it’s not a problem.
“I think it’s how you react on stage, if you’re aggressive towards them, it’s going to get you into trouble. But like I said, I can’t really comment on Luke because I wasn’t playing in the games with Luke and I don’t know what he’s really been through, but they can be brutal sometimes.”
Nicholson: Maybe Littler can learn from the others
Former world championship quarter-finalist Paul Nicholson praised Smith’s approach and suggested Littler could benefit from lessons from some of his rivals.
Nicholson, who himself was known for frequent interactions with the crowds, also shared how 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price has adapted his on-stage demeanor.
After Smith’s comments, Nicholson said: “That’s a really, really good way to look at it, what Ross just said, because from my point of view, I tried to be aggressive because I wanted to be different and it’s something I’ve had my whole career, over 10 years.
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Speaking on Love The Darts, Paul Nicholson has backed Luke Littler’s reduced schedule for the rest of the season.
“It took Gerwyn Price years to figure it out. Now he smiles with aggression and the crowd is with him more than ever.
“So it just shows that Ross is looking at this right to make sure his career is in the right place moving forward.
“So we learn from mistakes, but we actually learn from what other people are going through as well. We don’t want to see Littler not go to events, but maybe he can learn from what other people are doing as well.”
Why whistling is worse than yelling at players
Nicholson also explained why Littler and other players can be particularly frustrated by the whistle.
He added: “We’ve seen Littler have some banter with the crowd, which we’re all for by the way, because we want people to have that connection. One of the great things about this sport is that there’s a connection between the fans and the stars.
“But what we have at the moment is a tendency of people using whistling as a way to make themselves feel heard. Darts don’t like it because it’s piercing. It goes into your ear and it’s very short, sharp and comes out of nowhere.
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Mark Webster and Michael Bridge discuss Luke Littler’s concerns about crowd whistling at the World Series of Darts in Amsterdam, the potential impact on his future and whether more can be done to tackle the issue.
“You don’t know if it’s going to come when you’re going to throw a match dart, a leg dart, or even for a triple. If it comes out of nowhere, it can throw you off and your shoulders wobble, and you don’t want that.
“A boo is a smaller frequency and is more common, you can handle them a lot better. But these short, sharp whistles, as they are, are terrible.
“And the worst thing is that if it happens once, you’re thinking about whether it’s going to happen again and you can’t fully concentrate.”
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