Wayne Mardle tells Luke Littler to instantly stop this part of his game

Luke Littler has been urged to stop reacting to jeers and boos from the crowd during matches.

The back-to-back world champion has hit back at the audience on several occasions in recent months.

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Littler notably sarcastically thanked the fans for paying his prize money at the PDC World Darts Championship.

After beating Rob Cross in the fourth round at Alexandra Palace, he was asked about the hostility from the crowd.

The Nuke responded by explaining: “I’m not bothered. Really not bothered.

“Can I say one thing? You guys pay for tickets and you pay for my prize money. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come on!”

Littler warning

Wayne Mardle has now told Littler to put a stop to his crowd reactions going forward.

The former World Matchplay runner-up said: “It’s a new phase that he’s going through, he’s starting to bite a little more with the crowd and that’s got to stop.

“Luke Littler will have to realise, ‘I might have to be that bit quiet, let the darts do the talking’. Antagonising the audience, which he has done on occasions (is not good).

“And don’t talk about the amount of prize money up for grabs that they’re putting in your pocket because that’s not the way forward.”

Littler’s recent on-stage antics have become common in this year’s Premier League.

The teenager was involved in a heated clash with Gian van Veen at night nine in Manchester back on April 2.

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Their altercation saw Littler appear to signal for Van Veen to hurry up during the match before the Dutchman clinched victory.

Van Veen commented on the incident after the match before Littler continued their spat with his own response on social media.

The 19-year-old shared a screenshot of his PDC titles as well as re-sharing a post detailing Van Veen’s comments alongside laughing emojis.

Littler was booed by the crowd as recently as last week as the Premier League headed to Rotterdam.

Having beaten Gerwyn Price, the Nuke faced Luke Humphries for a place in the nightly final.

During his win over Humphries, he appeared to wave to the crowd for them calm down.

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Littler went on to lose to Jonny Clayton in the final as he was denied a fourth nightly win.

He will take on Humphries in a rematch in Liverpool at night 12 on Thursday, with Josh Rock or Michael van Gerwen awaiting the winner.