Luke Littler has been beaten by Jonny Clayton 6-4 in the Premier League after suffering a chorus of boos from Dutch fans.
The Welshman now tops the table by five points after defeating the 19-year-old in the final of night 11, who was public enemy number one in front of the noisy crowd.
After being booed throughout the night following his bust-up with Dutchman, Gian van Veen, Littler fended off Gerwyn Price in the quarter finals 6-3.
The world number one then held off Luke Humphries’ comeback in a thrilling semi-final to win 6-5.
Littler was subject to a chorus of boos from Dutch fans | GETTY
At one point in the match against Humphries, Littler told the crowd to calm down after nailing double 20 to take the break of throw.
The two-time world champion also found his entrance music, Greenlight by Pitbull, rendered virtually inaudible beneath a wall of whistling, booing and shouting.
The jeering started even before Littler got on stage, as his image on the pre-match screen immediately drew boos from the orange-clad supporters.
Reacting to the jeers, the 19-year-old said: “Exactly what I expected, the boos and whistles, but I knew as soon as I got on stage I could do my job.”
Littler was beaten in the final against Clayton
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Clayton proved too much of a challenge for Littler after beating Michael van Gerwen in the quarter finals and Josh Rock in the semis.
The Welshman now sits 11 points above fifth, with both men all but guaranteed a place in the finals on May 28.
“I don’t watch many games back, but I watched last week’s game against Michael [van Gerwen] back, and it hurt a little bit when someone said I was favourite to finish bottom – that really hurt and annoyed me,” Clayton told Sky Sports.
“That really hurt. I’ve been here three times before, and I’ve done finals night, so hopefully I can prove them wrong.
Clayton proved too much of a challenge for Littler after beating Van Gerwen and Rock
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“Definitely [it has given him some fuel]. They might be looking at some other people. They’ve got the wrong person.”
A fortnight ago, animosity between Littler and Van Veen intensified after the Englishman threw his arms in the air after his Dutch rival missed match darts.
Van Veen subsequently accused the world number one of celebrating the miss and being “out of order”.
Playing only an hour from Van Veen’s hometown of Poederoijen, Littler was always unlikely to win the support of the local crowd.
Clayton now sits five points clear at the top of the Premier League
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The teenager has grown more polarising since he told supporters at December’s World Championship that “your tickets pay my prize money”.
Littler’s attention turns to next week in Liverpool, where he faces Humphries again in the opening quarter-final.
The 19-year-old may have to be prepared for more boos, being a keen Manchester United supporter and having previously rallied the Merseyside crowd after Everton beat Liverpool 2-0 in 2024, with Littler holding up two fingers, mimicking the scoreline.
