LUKE OUT
‘Sat at home charging their phones’ – Luke Littler slams social media haters after shock darts Players Championship KO
But other fans defended the 18-year-old champ
LUKE LITTLER laughed off the social media haters “sat at home charging their phones” after being KO’d from the Players Championship.
The teen sensation lost out to Joe Cullen 6-3 at the Last 32 stage in Wigan on Monday afternoon.
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Littler, 18, had earlier picked up two wins, beating Martin Lukeman 6-3 in a repeat of the Grand Slam final and defeating Jim Long 6-4.
Typically the online trolls were out in force and were quick to jump on ‘The Nuke’s’ low-key displays.
Littler has openly admitted he finds it hard to be motivated for the ProTour days which are played without fans. He has always clearly been a big stage superstar having picked up 11 senior titles already.
On Facebook one fan jumped to his defence and said: “All you Littler haters make me laugh remember what he’s done and won in one year on tour. Hate people who rip into people’s success.”
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Littler replied from his Facebook account: “Still earned a few quid today while these are sat at home charging their phones waiting for me to lose.”
The world champ averaged just 87.81 against Cullen and 87.31 in the win over Lukeman. He had earlier hit a 90 average in the victory against Canadian Long.
It’s in stark contrast to his sensational performance against Michael van Gerwen in the Premier League in Belfast last week.
He delivered the second-highest losing average in PL history of 113.91.
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Littler plays in tomorrow’s Players Championship 2 and then faces Rob Cross in the Premier League at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on Thursday night.
The teen sensation became darts' youngest world champion of all time in January aged 17 - beating the great Michael van Gerwen in the final.
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But his form since has dipped, most recently losing to Cullen.
It was only last year Littler won the Players Championship as fans voiced some worry over the loss.
One said: "Littler has been off all day and done well to get as far as he as."
Another added: "Same old story they win the big one and then seem to lose the zest for a while."
But one argued: "Sick of seeing loads of b******s comment on Littler saying hes been awful past few weeks like f***ing hell is he not allowed to have a couple of bad games."
Another said: "He lost a game of darts relax.";
Littler has still not managed to win more than two matches at a tournament since beating Van Gerwen to win the World Championship.
He reached the quarter-finals at the Bahrain Masters in his first appearance as champ before going one better at the Dutch Masters the following week in January.
Jonny Clayton knocked him out in the last-eight at the World Masters in Milton Keynes recently.
And Littler then lost a thriller against MVG on the opening night of the Premier League in Belfast last Thursday - despite averaging almost 114.
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His next Prem fixture is against Rob Cross in Glasgow later this week where he looks to get his campaign up and running as the reigning champion.
But Littler is back in action before then in Wigan tomorrow when he features in Players Championship 2.
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