Luke Littler and Gian van Veen

Gerwyn Price sticks up for Luke Littler over bad loser claims following controversial defeat to Gian van Veen in Manchester

By Sporting Life

Darts

Fri April 03, 2026 · 2h ago

Gerwyn Price defended Luke Littler over the heated last-leg decider that he lost to Gian van Veen on night nine of the Premier League in Manchester.

Littler has been widely criticised for how he seemingly tried to use the 'home' crowd to put off van Veen, who missed double 15 before directing a glare towards the world champion.

VAN VEEN KO'S LITTLER!

Gian van Veen is back in business!

The European Champion halts Luke Littler's winning run with a dramatic deciding-leg victory in Manchester!

📲 https://t.co/gFQK4rQ2wU #PLDarts | QF3 pic.twitter.com/j9caCQ7RsK
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 2, 2026

The antics didn't work as Littler spurned his own match darts in what proved to be his final visit to the board.

Van Veen later told Sky Sports: "I'm on 90, I miss double 15 on the inside, and then I see him celebrating towards the crowd. I don't think that's normal. And then he also makes that crying gesture.

"He's a fantastic darts player, but today he showed he's not a good loser. Celebrating a miss from your opponent, that really annoys me. That's why I gave him a look. The fact he then misses three darts at a double, that's his problem.

🍿 How does the Luke Littler v Gian van Veen incident compare with the most heated moments in darts history... pic.twitter.com/yhkXh80Mbg
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) April 2, 2026

"He was celebrating me missing double 15. That's out of order. I was fuming about that and he missed three darts at double seven. Then he looked at me like I was the problem. He is probably fuming. That's my perspective. His perspective is probably different.

"I love Luke to bits. All the attention he has brought to the sport is phenomenal, but today was my day."

Van Veen went on to lose the final to Price, who produced three fantastic displays to take all five points that moved him up to second in the table.

He said: "Things like this happen in darts, I'm sure in a couple of weeks it'll be done and dusted, gone and we'll move on. I've been in that situation, it's part and parcel. In darts emotions are high, it's a rollercoaster and people get hyped up.

"It is what it is. If you didn't have that reaction, sometimes you need to be a little bit pee'd off and get those reactions otherwise, what's the point?

"Do you not want to win that much? You'll probably regret some of the things you do, or the reactions you have then you think about it tomorrow.

"But if you're not up for it in the game, sometimes it happens. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, I've been there, the backlash of it, Luke will probably have it but in a couple of weeks, it'll be gone."