"May be on": Luke LIttler hints European Tour German boycott could end due to Dortmund crowd

Luke Littler could end his European Tour boycott next year, he confirmed in Germany. Littler hasn't played on the European Tour in the country due to the crowds and has only played mandatory majors and the Premier League in Germany.

Littler spoke after he threw an 114 average in taking down Nathan Aspinall to reach the quarter-finals of the European Championship on Saturday night, and he spoke to the media, including DartsNews, afterwards.

"Yeah, I feel very good. Sometimes, when it's a longer format, I could go back to the old Luke Littler and start throwing really fast. But yeah, I just kept it together and got the job done," said Littler to the media, including DartsNews.com.

Littler is always one for stats and records and looking at what he is doing, so when it came to the huge 114 average, he said that he was even thinking after when he found out that he could've had Phil Taylor's record.

"Yeah, I think it was when we came back on stage. I think I was on 121, but that was the only time I looked at it. And then when we came on for the second break at 6-4, I was on 117. But yeah, I didn't know the record until just then — Phil Taylor's 118. So maybe I should have tried a bit harder! But again, I'm just really happy with myself."

But despite this, Aspinall was not blown away by the task as ever, with the dogged Asp as ever keeping himself well in the reckoning, and Littler expects nothing less. "That's exactly what Nathan does. He's always there; he'll never back down. So I knew full well to just keep the throw as it is and not start throwing really fast. But yeah, as everyone knows, Nathan never backs down. He was still on the finish and matching me on the finish after nine and after 12 darts. But yeah, I had to get it over the line."

Asked as a result whether Aspinall brings out the best in him, Littler agrees that he does on both ends. "I think I'd say I'm a bit more relaxed, obviously, knowing him for many years. But then I've also got to look at what's happening on stage.

"He's not going to go away. He'll never shy away. He'll always stick at it. He'll always be there with you. But yeah, I think we both bring the best out of each other. Obviously, I've not played Luke for a while. I've not played Michael for a while. But yeah, I think my rivalry with Nathan is near mine with Luke."

The format gets longer, which will always benefit a player of Littler's stature, and he said that though that adapting to playing in the afternoon will be the hurdle. "Yeah, I mean, hopefully. I've just been to all the last ones as well. So, about four o'clock, the clocks go back, have a shower and get into bed as well. So, yeah, I just told Polly then that tomorrow afternoon will be the tough one. Waking up, getting up and playing in the afternoon.

"But yeah, again, tonight, obviously, I think there were 1,500 fans coming from the Dortmund game, and it felt really good tonight. But yeah, I was just getting that afternoon game out of the way, and then we can look forward to tomorrow night."

Littler had an incident with a member of the crowd and had to get security involved and explained that he caught a member of the crowd slamming a table, and then when he looked round, they were all sheepish.

"Just before the bull on the 126, the front table decided to bang really loudly on the table.

"The guy who did it looked up. I pointed at him and said, "That's you, that." And then he just picked up his pen and started writing on his little 180 card. He didn't look up, so yeah, he knew what he'd done. But that's the first thing I've had all weekend, and yeah, the crowd's been very good."

He also, as alluded to, admitted that he could end the boycott in Germany due to the crowd being so good this weekend. "Yeah, I think, obviously, because I've not been to Germany this year apart from Berlin, it's kind of like the second time they've seen me. " So, obviously, I want a good reception because I want to be doing European tours next year in Germany. Whereas if they're not good to me, then I won't go. But so far, so good. And with the way I'm playing, hopefully they like it, and I can produce maybe a bit better tomorrow.

Asked plainly if he is planning on maybe ending that boycott, he confirmed that it could be the case. "Maybe on, yeah." He also spoke more about Aspinall and the joke they shared at the end together. "Yeah, he was just saying at the end, "Why do you have to play so good against me?"

"I just laughed. And then when he said it again, he said, "You used to always play well against me. You always bring the best out of me. And then when we went back to the table, he said, "I'll get you one day." I said, "Yeah, maybe, Nathan."