The Premier League Darts event was recently marred by unsportsmanlike conduct from a portion of the audience, drawing sharp criticism from a Sky Sports presenter. The incident occurred during a highly anticipated final match between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.
The atmosphere at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow was electric as Littler and Humphries, two of darts’ biggest stars, battled it out. Littler had shown remarkable resilience earlier in the night, overcoming a significant deficit against Rob Cross in the quarter-final and then defeating Michael van Gerwen to secure his place in the final. However, the excitement of the evening was overshadowed by the behavior of some spectators.
Throughout the final, a noticeable segment of the crowd engaged in persistent whistling directed at Luke Humphries as he prepared to throw. This disruptive behavior was not an isolated incident, as Gerwyn Price had also been subjected to similar treatment earlier in the night, even resorting to mimicking the crowd’s actions in response. The level of disruption became so significant that the match referee, Kirk Bevins, was compelled to intervene and address the crowd directly over the microphone.
The reaction to this crowd behavior was swift and strong. Sky Sports presenter Abigail Davies took to social media to express her dismay. She questioned the motives of those involved, stating, “Yet again, well done to those who paid good money to go and watch the best darts players in the world put on a show and actively contributed to them not delivering their absolute best by whistling.” Her message was clear: such actions are not in keeping with genuine support for the sport. “Really clever, that. There is no way you can be a fan of the sport if you do that,” she asserted, highlighting the counterproductive nature of the disruptions.
Luke Littler himself also commented on the crowd’s behavior following his victory. He acknowledged the issue, saying, “Yeah, obviously, there was a few in particular that were doing it [whistling] when Luke [Humphries] was throwing.” He further revealed the impact it had on the match, noting, “Kirk [Bevins, match referee] told them to be quiet and it got even worse, and then I missed doubles and Luke breaks at 5-4.” Littler’s words painted a picture of a tense and challenging situation, where the crowd’s actions directly affected the players’ performance.
Littler also expressed his frustration with the referee’s intervention, suggesting it may have inadvertently worsened the situation. “I’m just like, ‘Kirk, you’ve made it worse for me there, I’m 5-4 down,'” he recounted. However, he also acknowledged the need for intervention at some point, stating, “Obviously, they’ve got to step in at some point and say something. But yeah, that was pretty bad, but I got the win.”
Despite the distractions, Littler managed to secure the win in a close final, ultimately prevailing 6-5 in the deciding leg.
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