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Luke Littler has admitted he “didn’t expect” the crowd to be against him in his win over Rob Cross, but has no regrets about his post-match comments to the Alexandra Palace crowd.
The world number 1 aims to become the first consecutive winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy since Gary Anderson a decade ago and beat former world champion Rob Cross 4-2 to reach the round of 16 for the third year in a row, where he will face Krzysztof Ratajski on New Year’s Day.
Littler produced an average of 106.58 and delivered 17 maximums in an exciting and spirited battle, with the defending champion looking agitated at various points as ‘Voltage’ had the support of a strong section of a raucous crowd after fighting back from 3-1 down to almost push the match to a final set decider.
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Luke Littler had harsh words for some Alexandra Palace fans after victory over Rob Cross
After winning, Littler turned to the crowd and said, “Am I bothered? Really, am I bothered?! Really not bothered!
“Can I just say one thing? You pay for the tickets and you pay for my prize money, so thank you, thank you for my money! Thank you for booing me. Thank you – come on!”
It’s an outburst that brought even more attention to “The Nuke,” but it’s one he says he has no regrets about, instead describing the reaction as an experience with fans he’s never had before on that stage.
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Luke Littler responds to the ‘hostile’ crowd he faced during his match against Rob Cross at the World Darts Championship
“It’s a big opportunity for them to go into the New Year, but I’ll be ready to welcome anyone,” Littler said an hour after the contest.
“It was definitely a task I wasn’t ready for. It’s the World Championships. Did they want the underdogs to win, did they want the matches to last longer, who knows? I just did my job.
“It was just pure emotion, I said what I said, the fans, I was going to say it last year at one point, but the fans, they paid for the tickets and pretty much they pay our prize money, so yeah, I don’t regret anything.
“I think nine times out of 10 I’ll still be favorite and I didn’t expect that, I didn’t expect the fans to want Rob to win, but I can learn from it.”
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Rob Cross made the world number one work, but Luke Littler held on to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Does Littler think he can turn things around with the crowd when the Arrows resume in 2026? He hopes so but all he can do is play his best darts and continue to show how much he has “grown”.
“I don’t know, not really, I just have to play with all my heart and win,” he added.
“I think obviously there were a few times where I let it out at the end and I think that’s kind of the best thing to do.
A preview of the World Darts Championship quarter-final draw
“I know I can throw one or two good darts, but it shows how much I’ve grown myself. On the Ally Pally stage, I’ve never experienced anything like this here and here we go again.
“Obviously it gives you a lot of confidence to get through a match like that, you know you can miss a dart or two, but getting through these matches is the best.
“The fans are behind you, they’re not in front of you, and what’s in front of you is a game of darts and that’s what you have to do.”
Durrant: Booing is part of the pantomime
Glen Durrant of Sky Sports Darts…
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Glen Durrant and Laura Turner discuss Luke Littler’s fiery response to boos from the Ally Pally crowd during his clash against Rob Cross
“First of all, I was surprised. The whole regeneration of darts in recent years has been linked to the success of Luke Littler.
“I’m old enough and wise enough to remember the days of Phil Taylor and the incredible numbers of Michael van Gerwen, but we’ve never seen darts in a better place, and the way the crowd just sort of turned around…
“He’s 18 years old, and these are things that sometimes we forget because he appears like this champion.
“I’m a firm believer in lessons learned. Coming back to my day job, my motto was: ‘We all make mistakes, don’t do it a second time.’
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Emma Paton and John Part look ahead to the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship
“Boots and whistles have become part of the darts pantomime. As a player, you can handle the boings and hisses you can contend with.
“There’s been a regeneration in darts and a lot of it has to do with Luke Littler. You have to remember he’s 18. They’re not media trained and then you get asked a question.”
What’s next?
The World Darts Championship returns on New Year’s Day for the quarter-finals, where Jonny Clayton starts against Ryan Searle – the only player not to lose a set in this tournament – before Gary Anderson takes on Justin Hood.
Luke Humphries’ showdown against Gian van Veen closes the evening session after Littler continues his quest for back-to-back world titles when he takes on Ratajski.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407). Stream darts and many other top sports with NOW.
