TWO rivals claim it's "obvious" Luke Littler gets preferential treatment. Dutch stars Vincent van der Voort and Gian van Veen spoke out following the whizkid's debut glory in the Grand Slam of Darts. 4 Luke Littler has shattered all sorts of records in his amazing 12 months Credit: Getty 4 Gian van Veen says it's 'not strange' the elite get better treatment Credit: Alamy 4 Vincent van der Voort claims Littler is a prized asset for the PDC Credit: Getty Littler , 17, has soared from No164 to No5 after becoming only the fourth player ever to win ten titles in a PDC calendar year.
But before the Nuke's 16-3 triumph over Martin Lukeman in Sunday's Slam final, there was controversy in his 10-9 last-16 success over Mike De Decker . The Netherlands ace was upset by the crowd whistling at key moments. He was then even more frustrated when referee Kirk Bevins refused to tell fans to curb such behaviour.
READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS COULD FALL OUT Sherrock says 'hopefully we never see it on TV' about dream darts match There's no suggestion Bevins' decision was anything to do with Littler . Indeed, the official insisted the crowd might have whipped up their antics even more if he had intervened. However, Van der Voort and Van Veen believe it is "of course true" that darts chiefs handle Littler extra nicely.
VDV, 48, told the podcast Darts Draait Door: "If you look at what that boy brings in, in terms of extra sponsorship and money, you're treated differently." Most read in Darts COPS PROBE S.