3 weeks ago
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LUKE LITTLER says that furious top oche stars have to IGNORE the whistles.
The world champion won the Premier League night two at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow as a row erupted over fan behaviour.
PA
REXLittler, 18, and World No.1 Luke Humphries had their final clash almost ruined by the crowd trying to put them off at vital moments.
When referee Kirk Bevins stepped in to tell the moron minority to stop whistling, it then disrupted The Nuke’s throw.
But Littler remained calm during the storm to pick up the £10k prize for his first win since taking the world crown.
When asked about the whistling, he responded: “Obviously, there were a few in particular that were doing it when Luke was throwing.
“Then when Kirk told them to be quiet, it got even worse. And then I missed doubles.
“Luke breaks at 5-4 and I am just like: ‘Kirk, you have made it worse for me’. I’m 5-4 down. But, no, I broke back and held my throw quite strongly.
“But I think it’s best off if they don’t whistle at us. We just want to play our darts.”
Darts bosses, meanwhile, have condemned the whistling that marred the competition and vowed to stamp out any future “inappropriate” behaviour.
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List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
- 1994 – Dennis Priestley
- 1995 – Phil Taylor
- 1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
- 1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
- 1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
- 1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
- 2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
- 2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
- 2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
- 2003 – John Part
- 2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
- 2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
- 2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
- 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
- 2008 – John Part (2)
- 2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
- 2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
- 2011 – Adrian Lewis
- 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
- 2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
- 2014 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2015 – Gary Anderson
- 2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
- 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
- 2018 – Rob Cross
- 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
- 2020 – Peter Wright
- 2021 – Gerwyn Price
- 2022 – Peter Wright (2)
- 2023 – Michael Smith
- 2024 – Luke Humphries
- 2025 – Luke Littler
Most World Titles
- 14 – Phil Taylor
- 3 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
- 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
The majority of the 10,000 crowd behaved within the spirit of the game but one or two culprits ruined the contest for the two Lukes.
A PDC Statement said: “The PDC wishes to strongly reiterate that it does not condone any behaviour which can disrupt an event, such as whistling or booing when players are throwing.
“Every player goes on stage with the intention of performing to the best of their ability and providing an entertaining spectacle for all fans, whether in the venue or watching worldwide.
“As per the terms and conditions of entry to events, spectators who act inappropriately can be removed from the venue.
“The PDC works closely with Premier League venues, who have responsibility for crowd control, to take proactive and decisive action against those who behave inappropriately.
“The vast majority of fans who attend our sell-out events on a regular basis also condemn this behaviour.
“And we will continue to promote a positive atmosphere which gives all players the opportunity to play to the best of their ability in every match.”
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