Security at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena for the opening night of the 2024 Premier League Darts season were forced to step in and chuck out a few revellers who were whistling loudly during matches featuring Luke Littler.
The 17-year-old has taken the world of darts by storm ever since his run to the final of the World Championships.
He's carried that form into the Masters events, winning on his debut in Bahrain and reaching the final in the Netherlands.
Littler reached another milestone on Thursday as he competed in his first Premier League Darts evening in front of a raucous Welsh crowd.
Michael Smith was angry with the crowd
SKYSPORTS
Gerywn Price was the home favourite and loudly cheered during his matches, but Littler was also well supported.
That support wasn't there for either of Price or Littler's opponents though as the partisan crowd tried to distract players on stage.
Loud whistles could be heard from the crowd during some matches, with Luke Humphries showing his frustration at the interruption during his match against Littler.
The world No 1 ended up losing to Littler and appeared outraged as he stormed off stage after his defeat.
Michael Smith was up next for Littler in the semi-final with the pair putting on a clinic in front of the packed out arena.
The 2023 world champion received the same treatment as Humphries before him with several whistles heard during his throws.
Smith didn't react on stage and was seemingly able to block out the noise.
But Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle noted that security inside the arena were tracking down the perpetrators to get them kicked out of the arena.
They had their work cut out though as dozens of spectators were reportedly jeering throughout the match.
Michael Smith was not impressed with the whistles
SKYSPORTS
Smith was able to hold his nerve in the end as he defeated Littler with a 55 checkout after Littler failed on 94.
And the 33-year-old immediately turned around to face the whistlers and give them a piece of his mind.
There were loud jeers before Smith landed his match-winning dart on double 20 and he turned around, appearing to tell the crowd to "stop" the whistles.
You can see how much that meant to Michael Smith 👊
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) February 1, 2024
He stops Luke Littler in a deciding leg to set up a final with Gerwyn Price 🎯 pic.twitter.com/VJMISdvIku
Littler also appeared uncomfortable in the matches as his opponents faced a hostile atmosphere.
The teenager won't have to wait long to get back on stage with the second Premier League event taking place in Berling.
But Littler won't be in action this weekend at the Cazoo Masters as he missed out on qualifying for the event based on his ranking being 31 in the world after the World Championships.
