Luke Littler’s rivals in the Premier League have been called out for being too friendly to the youngster on stage at events by Dutch player Vincent van der Voort
Dutch crowd-pleaser Vincent van der Voort has ruffled feathers among the Premier League cast by claiming there are “too many Littler fanboys” in this year’s line-up.
Van der Voort, who is three-times world champion Michael van Gerwen’s practice partner and occasional consultant, believes the players are too pally with teenage sensation Luke Littler and too keen to “act like the perfect son-in-law.”
The quickfire former UK Open finalist, nicknamed the Dutch Destroyer, does not approve of the back-slapping, fist-bumping chumminess among rivals going for the £275,000 winner’s loot.
And 49-year-old Van der Voort reckons his compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode, the former aubergine farmer who has never won a TV major, would have been a better pick for the Thursday night circus where defending champion Littler is the runaway leader.
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Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van ver Voort blustered: “Compared to some of the players in it now, I’d much rather watch Dirk. There’s always something happening when he plays. Some players just show up and act like the perfect son-in-law, but that doesn’t bring much excitement.
“There are too many Littler fanboys right now, so it would be great to see Dirk in the mix. He steps up to compete against him and does everything to win.”
Van der Voort claimed Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall – who has lost nine in a row against Luke the Nuke – are over-friendly with the world champion. He added: “Every little thing, they are giving him fist bumps or smiles. Dirk wouldn’t do that – just like he didn’t at the UK Open. Aubergenius wasn’t in the tournament this year, but in previous years, he definitely would have been.”
Professional Darts Corporation bosses are keen to spread their Premier League cast geographically in a 17-week competition played in seven different countries.
And world No.29 Van der Voort claims he was close to making the cut last year, saying: “In my injury year (2024), I was really close. The PDC even asked me to come to (Rotterdam) Ahoy for an on-stage interview. It felt like they were preparing me for something.
“Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but when they start introducing you to that kind of stage, it means something. But in the end, I was still far from making it because my season took a different turn through injury.”
Littler is eight points clear of world No.1 Luke Humphries at the top of the Premier League table after thrashing him 6-1 in the latest night of the competition in Newcastle on Thursday.
The youngster has been in supreme form of late and is in pole position to scoop the £275,000 top prize.
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