- The darts prodigy was confronted by Michael van Gerwen prior to his semi-final
- A noisy gambler appeared to grab his arm as he walked in Belfast
- The teenager bounced back in style to claim his first overnight Premier League win
Dart prodigy Luke Littler has revealed his arm was injured by a rowdy spectator during one of his walk-ons ahead of his Premier League win in Belfast.
Littler, 17, claimed his first overnight victory in the tournament at the ninth time of asking after seeing off Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall.
However, his exciting confrontation with Van Gerwen was marred slightly before he even reached the oche after his arm was grabbed and pulled.
The incident, which was not fully captured on Sky Sports cameras, appeared to have been caused by a punter holding Littler down while his walk-on music played.
Security officers, who flank players as they make their way to the stage, then intervened. It is not known whether the unnamed person was thrown out of the venue.
Luke Littler has revealed his arm was injured by a spectator during his walk-on in the Premier League
Littler continued to walk to the stage after the incident but admitted he was shaken
The teen sensation made a great recovery to take his first overnight victory and move into second place
Littler admitted he was momentarily taken aback by the moment, but took time to compose himself before moving forward for his practice throws.
When asked what happened, the teenager said: ‘I don’t know who he was, he pulled my arm. It hurt a little.
“That’s why when I went on stage, I didn’t interact with my music. I heard everyone singing, but I just had to relax.
‘As soon as (referee) Charlie said ‘game on’ I had to relax. My hand is fine. It turned out well.’
Littler then swept aside former world champion Van Gerwen thanks to a 6-3 win and an average of 99.05, setting up a final match against close friend Aspinall.
The young ace then secured victory and the trophy after triumphing 6-4.
Littler’s arm was pulled prior to his confrontation against Michael van Gerwen, whom he defeated 6–3
The prodigy collected £10,000 as a winning bonus after he recovered from the incident
Littler defeated world champion Luke Humphries, Van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall in Belfast
In his first ever overnight victory in the Premier League, he was given £10,000 as a welcome bonus and moved up to second in the eight-man table with 18 points.
Littler said: ‘I’m happy to win, it’s my first. I’m happy to win against a good friend.
‘I practiced more for this and it paid off. I had a good practice match before coming out with Rob Cross. It made me want to do this.”
Littler are now four points behind leaders Humphries, the world number 1, and will look to move closer to the top when the competition moves to Manchester next week.
The top four players at the end of the rankings stage will qualify for the play-offs in London on May 23, while the other four competitors will be eliminated.
