Luke Littler’s walk-on was disrupted by a fan during an incident involving his mum on night four of the Premier League Darts in Exeter.
The Nuke was on the lookout for his second win of this year’s campaign, having triumphed in Glasgow two weeks ago.
His evening began with a repeat of the 2025 World Championship semi-final against world no.5 Stephen Bunting.
As was the case at Alexandra Palace just under two months ago, it was Littler who got the better of Bunting, but the pair’s match had been marred by an earlier incident during their walk-ons.
Littler had been sharing a warm embrace with the family and friends in attendance at the Westpoint Arena in Exeter when a member of the crowd appeared to barge past his mum to get a glimpse of the teenage arrowsmith.
Understandably, neither Litter nor his mum appeared best pleased at the stunt, with the pair of them turning towards the culprit to give them a scowl.
It’s the latest incident of crowd chaos at this year’s Premier League, with the PDC having released a statement surrounding the issue earlier on in the tournament.
Commenting after boos and jeers were heard during night two in Glasgow, the tournament organisers said: “Following Thursday’s Premier League Darts night in Glasgow, the PDC wishes to strongly reiterate that it does not condone any behaviour which can disrupt an event, such as whistling or booing when players are throwing.
“Every player goes on stage with the intention of performing to the best of their ability and providing an entertaining spectacle for all fans, whether in the venue or watching worldwide.
“As per the terms and conditions of entry to events, spectators who act inappropriately can be removed from the venue.
“The PDC works closely with Premier League venues, who have responsibility for crowd control, to take proactive and decisive action against those who behave inappropriately.
“The vast majority of fans who attend our sell-out events on a regular basis also condemn this behaviour and we will continue to promote a positive atmosphere which gives all players the opportunity to play to the best of their ability in every match.”
Littler himself opened up about the crowd trouble, stating after the Glasgow debacle: “Yeah, obviously, there was a few in particular that were doing it [whistling] when Luke [Humphries] was throwing.
“Kirk [Bevins, match referee] told them [whistling] to be quiet and it got even worse, and then I missed doubles and Luke breaks at 5-4. I’m just like, ‘Kirk, you’ve made it worse for me there.”
