Luke Littler has created fascinating Dutch Darts Championship sub-plot without even playing
Luke Littler's decision not to play in the Dutch Darts Championship has created a key sub-plot during the closing stages of the tournament on Sunday night.
Reigning two-time world champion Littler is already locked in for the season-ending European Championship in Dortmund next week, having secured his place via the European Tour Order of Merit.
He has taken a break from competing until that event gets underway - which has created an intriguing scenario for the competitors remaining in Maastricht.
Why Luke Littler is at the centre of Dutch Darts Championship drama
The European Championship first round is drawn via finishing positions in the year-long European Tour Order of Merit, with Littler provisionally drawn against the 23rd-placed player before the quarter-finals got underway in Maastricht.
Only Damon Heta and Niels Zonneveld can overtake 'The Nuke' by winning the event, with a tournament victory not enough for Stephen Bunting to surpass him.
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Chris Dobey is currently in 23rd position and would face Littler in Dortmund as things stand - but other players could change the state of play.
Should Heta or Zonneveld win the entire event - and Zonneveld would be doing so in front of his home crowd - they would push Littler down to 11th place in the Order of Merit.
That would mean that Dirk van Duijvenbode, or Bunting if 'The Bullet' reaches the final, would take on Littler in round one instead.
But if Bunting wins the final and climbs up the Order of Merit, William O'Connor - who currently occupies 22nd place in the rankings - would be the one to face Littler.
O'Connor has faced Littler once in the ProTour in 2026, losing 6-3 at Players Championship 27 in August.
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Why is Luke Littler not playing in the Dutch Darts Championship?
While Littler hasn't officially commented on the reason for his withdrawal, he did attend Saturday's boxing fight between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois at the O2 Arena.
"I was there in Manchester for the first fight," he told The Sun. "I think this one's gonna be as good, and like I've said to numerous people tonight, it's gonna go the other way. Fabio Wardley wins."
As it turned out, Littler's prediction proved to be incorrect, as Dubois won via second round TKO to retain his WBO heavyweight title.
Dubois, who knocked Wardley to the canvas after just 17 seconds in London, won the heavyweight belt in the pair's first fight via 11th-round TKO.
Littler's position in the European Championship was safe whatever happened in Maastricht, which will likely have been another reason for his decision to pull out of the Dutch Darts Championship.
In September, the 19-year-old said he would consider boycotting events in the Netherlands if hostile crowd reactions towards him continued. He was booed and whistled during his World Series Finals match against Nathan Aspinall in September.
"If the Dutch stay like this, then I'm not going to do any Euro Tours over there," he said post-match. "There's just no point in me travelling, wasting my time while I'm getting booed."
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Ryan Smart