Luke Littler and Gian van Veen are understood to be practicing in separate rooms ahead of their Premier League Darts Night 10 matches in Brighton, following a tense incident in Manchester last week. Emma Paton on Sky Sports confirmed the separate practice arrangements, noting there are two separate rooms available anyway, but the situation is ominous as the pair could feasibly meet again shortly, potentially reigniting the Manchester fracas.
Last week, Littler reacted after Van Veen looked round during a match, prompting Littler to raise his arms and look annoyed. Van Veen went on to win that match and later showed his annoyance towards Littler in quotes to Viaplay, which were laughed off by the World Champion on social media. Since then, Littler skipped the European Tour this past weekend, while Van Veen played but lost early to William O'Connor. In Brighton, Littler is set to play Stephen Bunting next, while Van Veen faces a Double Dutch duel.
Wayne Mardle criticized Littler's reaction, saying on Sky Sports, "It's as simple as that. He did not expect Gian van Veen to turn around. It's unusual that a player turns around mid-throw. Watch it back, he doesn't know he's turned around at that point. That is highly unusual. I don't know if Luke got embarrassed or not, but he shouldn't have reacted like he did. Gian van Veen did nothing wrong—he did nothing wrong. It was just a little over the top from Luke." Mardle added that he believes Littler will put it right and win Night 10, stating, "Let me tell you this, I think he puts it right and wins this evening. He's not the type to dwell; he's not the type to be bothered in a way and let it fester. He knows he's an absolute 19-year-old phenom, and I think he just wins again."
