Price Wins In Manchester After Littler And Van Veen Spat

BySam Drury

BBC Sport journalist astatine AO Arena

Gerywn Price secured triumph successful Manchester aft Gian van Veen accused Luke Littler of being "out of order" connected nighttime 9 of nan Premier League.

The Welshman was successful stunning shape passim nan evening, averaging 105.84 to hit Van Veen 6-2 successful nan last and move up to 2nd successful nan array pinch his 2nd nightly triumph of nan campaign.

But nan awesome talking constituent came astatine nan extremity of Van Veen's thrilling 6-5 triumph complete Littler successful nan quarter-finals.

The Dutchman turned his caput successful disappointment aft missing double 15 for nan the lucifer successful nan deciding limb and saw Littler celebrating.

That led to an angry guidance from nan world champion, who gestured for nan Dutchman to get connected pinch it.

Littler past proceeded to miss 2 much lucifer darts of his own, and past made a 'cry-baby' mime to nan crowd.

But Van Veen held his nervus and deed double six for nan match. The briefest of handshakes followed earlier Littler marched off.

"From my perspective, I missed nan double 15 and I was fuming pinch myself that I missed, and I looked astir and he was celebrating that I missed," Van Veen told Sky Sports.

"That was retired of order. I was fuming astir that.

"He astir apt saw it and past he missed 3 darts astatine double 7 and past he looked astatine maine for illustration I was nan problem and I was for illustration 'I don't cognize what I've done incorrect because you're celebrating maine missing'.

"I thought that was retired of order. He missed and past I took it retired and he's astir apt fuming. That is darts and that is my perspective. His position is astir apt different, but that is it.

"I emotion Luke to bits. He's a awesome subordinate and feline for nan athletics and to spot each nan attraction he's brought to it is phenomenal but this is besides portion of it arsenic good and coming was my day."

Littler responded to Van Veen's quotes pinch laughing emojis connected his Instagram story, besides posting an image showing nan PDC titles he has won complete nan past 2 years.

More to follow.

AO Arena, Manchester

Quarter-finals

Michael van Gerwen 3-6 Stephen Bunting

Gerwyn Price 6-2 Luke Humphries

Gian van Veen 6-5 Luke Littler

Jonny Clayton 4-6 Josh Rock

Semi-finals

Stephen Bunting 2-6 Gerwyn Price

Gian van Veen 6-3 Josh Rock

Final

Gerwyn Price 6-2 Gian van Veen

Thursday, 9 April - The Brighton Centre

Quarter-finals

Luke Humphries v Jonny Clayton

Gerwyn Price v Josh Rock

Luke Littler v Stephen Bunting

Michael van Gerwen v Gian van Veen

Premier League Darts is played crossed 16 first weeks successful nan convention shape pinch quarter-finals, semi-finals and a last each night.

Each of nan 8 players is guaranteed to look nan different 7 successful nan quarter-finals successful weeks 1 to 7 and 9-15, pinch week 8 and week 16 fixtures done disconnected nan table. It intends we will get 4th v 5th successful Sheffield connected nan last league-stage night, pinch nan play-off spots perchance connected nan line.

Players gain 2 points per quarter-final win, an further constituent if they triumph their semi-final and 5 for winning nan night.

The apical 4 players aft nan group shape advancement to nan play-off nighttime astatine London's O2 Arena connected 28 May, pinch first facing 4th and 2nd against 3rd successful a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is nan champion of 21 legs, follows.

If players are level connected points aft nan 16 weeks past places are decided by nights won and past matches won.