Gerwyn Price wins Premier League Darts night nine as Luke Littler and Gian van Veen clash

Gerwyn Price claimed victory at Manchester's Premier League Darts night nine, following a controversial quarter-final encounter where Gian van Veen accused Luke Littler of being "out of order."

The Welsh competitor delivered an exceptional performance throughout the evening, maintaining a remarkable 105.84 average to defeat Van Veen 6-2 in the final. This victory marks Price's second nightly win of the campaign and elevates him to second position in the overall standings.

However, the evening's most significant moment occurred during Van Veen's dramatic 6-5 quarter-final victory over Littler. The incident unfolded when Van Veen missed double 15 for the match in the deciding leg and observed Littler celebrating his missed opportunity.

The world champion's celebratory gesture prompted an angry response from the Dutchman, who gestured for Littler to focus on his own game. When Littler subsequently missed two match darts, he made a dismissive gesture toward the crowd that further escalated tensions.

Van Veen ultimately secured the victory with a double six finish, leading to a notably brief handshake before Littler departed the stage.

"From my perspective, I missed the double 15 and I was fuming with myself that I missed, and I looked around and he was celebrating that I missed," Van Veen explained to Sky Sports.

"That was out of order. I was fuming about that. He probably saw it and then he missed three darts at double seven and then he looked at me like I was the problem and I was like 'I don't know what I've done wrong because you're celebrating me missing'."

Van Veen continued: "I thought that was out of order. He missed and then I took it out and he's probably fuming. That is darts and that is my perspective. His perspective is probably different, but that is it."

Despite the heated exchange, Van Veen maintained respect for his opponent: "I love Luke to bits. He's a fantastic player and guy for the sport and to see all the attention he's brought to it is phenomenal but this is also part of it as well and today was my day."

Littler's response came via social media, where he posted laughing emojis on his Instagram story alongside images showcasing his PDC achievements from the past two years.

Premier League Darts night nine results

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

Premier League Darts table after week 9

1. Luke Littler - 3 nights won, 11 matches won, 21 points
2. Gerwyn Price - 2 nights won, 11 matches won, 19 points
3. Jonny Clayton - 2 nights won, 11 matches won, 19 points
4. Michael van Gerwen - 1 night won, 7 matches won, 13 points
5. Gian van Veen - 0 nights won, 8 matches won, 12 points
6. Luke Humphries - 0 nights won, 6 matches won, 11 points
7. Stephen Bunting - 1 night won, 5 matches won, 9 points
8. Josh Rock - 0 nights won, 2 matches won, 4 points