Luke Littler has fired back at Australian Darts Masters fans after the teen was sledged by the crowd Down Under. Littler went on to win the tournament, defeating Mike De Decker 8-4 in the final, but the world champion was subject to stick from the locals on several occasions. 

The Englishman started his tournament with a win against Haupai Puha on Friday, before defeating Damon Heta in the quarter-final the following day. A semi-final victory against Stephen Bunting saw Littler through to the final, where he despatched De Decker in comfortable fashion on Saturday afternoon. 

Speaking after the final win over De Decker, he bit back, saying: “There was a group to my right… every time I didn’t hit a treble they were like ‘rubbish, rubbish’. Someone said I was washed. Not sure what he meant, obviously I’m washed but I just won. But the darts did the talking.”

Given the nature of darts and the fact it’s an individual sport, Littler would be excused for allowing the sledging to get the better of him. He was even jeered by the crowd during a match against local hero Heta, but Littler shrugged it off and responded by mimicing the booes himself. 

When asked about how he deals with the barrage of stick, the Triple Crown winner added: “The first time I hear it [the crowd comments], I’ll do something but then I’ll let it go by. I’ll do my own darts and let them do the talking. Nobody has taught me how to deal with it, I just get on with it. You’re on stage alone, nobody else is with you, nobody else can help you. You have just got to get on with it.”

It’s a terrifying revelation for his opponents, with the darts icon coming across infallible and having regained the winning feeling in recent weeks, Littler is targeting even more titles.

On his recent form, Littler continued: “Any losing final motivates me, because you want to come back and go one better. My debut last year didn’t go to plan, but second time lucky… for myself, as a world champion you need to be winning things. It took five months [between titles], but to win at the Matchplay and now I’ve won here as well, I’ve got that winning feeling back in me.

“There’s a difference, you’re a world champion. For myself, it’s about feeling confident. This is the most confident I’ve felt in a long time. I’ll enjoy it [the win], but it’s another early flight [to New Zealand for the next tournament] and another two hours ahead, so will be needing some sleep.”