Luke Littler has revealed he was left shaken and 'hurt' after having his throwing arm grabbed by a fan in Belfast before he went on to win the ninth Premier League night of the season.
The 17-year-old has enjoyed a steady debut Premier League season having accumulated an impressive points tally prior to the night in Belfast.
But he was still awaiting his first Premier League win having come close on previous occasions.
It looked to be his night in Belfast this week though after he stopped the in-form world champion Luke Humphries in a close quarter-final contest.
That set up another tough test against Michael van Gerwen, but Littler breezed past the Dutchman to make it through to the final where he defeated his stablemate Nathan Aspinall.
But the teenage darts sensation has revealed his won over Van Gerwen came after an altercation with a fan in Belfast on his way to the stage.
Sky Sports cameras didn't show the incident, but an overzealous fan appeared to tug at Littler's right arm as his walk-on music was being played.
A security guard stepped in to scold the spectator, but Littler has revealed he was left shaken by the incident.
He said: “I don’t know who he was, he pulled my arm. It hurt a little bit.
“That’s why, when I went on stage, I didn’t interact with my music.
"I heard everyone singing but I just needed to relax.
"As soon as (referee) Charlie said ‘Game On’, I had to relax myself.
“My hand is fine. It worked out well.”
The Premier League night win gave Littler five valuable points to help his chances of making it to the play-offs at the end of May.
Just seven nights remain of the Premier League season with Littler sitting second in the table behind Humphries.
He'll be hoping to carry the momentum from his win in Belfast to Manchester next week and is expecting a good atmosphere.
“I cannot wait for next week. I am sure Nath [who is from Stockport] cannot wait either," Littler added.
"I know I have got Van Gerwen, so it’s all eyes on winning that first game.
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"The past eight weeks the crowds have been unbelievable with me. This was my first time in Belfast and I cannot wait to come back next year.
“Every week is a new experience, but Manchester is one of the biggest arenas in the Premier League so it should be good.
"All the fans have been good to me - maybe not so much in Newcastle because of the football banter, but in general the crowds have been great and hopefully this win is the first of many.”
