Nathan Aspinall has claimed any darts fans booing Luke Littler ‘need to sort their heads out’. The reigning world champion has been met with a number of hostile receptions on the Premier League circuit this season following his high-profile spat with Dutchman Gian van Veen.
Littler has been loudly booed in both Rotterdam, as well as Liverpool. Fellow darts star Aspinall has now had his say and claimed that anyone booing the teenager needs to look in the mirror.
Speaking to BetMGM, Aspinall said: “We had the same manager and I saw first-hand everything he did with the media and other bits after he won the World Championship. I can tell you that full-time seasoned pros who had been in the game for 10 years or longer couldn’t have done what he did.
“There’s so much pressure on him from so many different people and the stuff he’s done, like presenting Brit Awards, is genuinely unheard of for darts. He’s just embraced it.
“I was doing an exhibition with him in Scotland last and I said a few on the mic. I basically said that ‘this is the kid that has got all of your kids into darts’ and all of sudden everyone has forgotten about that. Those booing him need to sort their heads out because Luke needs the respect he deserves.
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“I’m really good mates with Luke but there is some stuff he can do that I can’t. He’s the flagbearer for darts and I think he deserves a lot more credit than he actually gets.
“He doesn’t care. People say he doesn’t practice and he genuinely doesn’t at all. I don’t know how he does it because most of us need to practice before we play. Luke literally will throw 12 darts, go on stage and average 115. I couldn’t do that if I practised for five hours!”
Littler himself has already spoken out on the boos and claimed Rotterdam was the worst crowd that he has faced so far. Speaking in Liverpool, he said: “It is what it is [crowd booing]. I’ve won and we move on to next week.
View 2 ImagesNathan Aspinall has leapt to Luke Littler’s defence(Image: Getty Images)
“Rotterdam was way louder than this tonight. This week was nothing compared to last week. But I’ve just got to forget about it. I was focused, I definitely wanted to win tonight and that’s what I’ve done.”
He added: “I even proved to people last week that I can win games under those circumstances and I’ve done it again. There is no anxiety there. I just expect the worst but it was not worse than Rotterdam.
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“That is the worst I have experienced. It is good to come through those games under those circumstances.”
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