Luke Humphries defends Luke Littler after crowd controversy
Luke Humphries has come to the defence of his young rival Luke Littler following the teenager’s fiery exchange with spectators at Alexandra Palace, reports BritPanorama.
The defending champion faced sustained booing from sections of the crowd during his fourth-round triumph over Rob Cross. In response, Littler issued a pointed message during his post-match interview, thanking the audience for their criticism: “You guys pay for tickets and you pay for my prize money so thank you for my money, thank you for booing me!”
His victory, which finished 4-2, secured his place in the last eight of the tournament. Littler described the atmosphere inside the historic north London venue as “hostile,” admitting he had not anticipated the crowd rallying behind his opponent.
Humphries acknowledged that Littler “lost his head” during the match but insisted the 18-year-old deserves sympathy rather than condemnation. “He’s a young lad. He’s 18 years old,” Humphries said. “Sometimes it happens. You lose your head a little bit. I don’t think people should hold it against him.”
The world number two reflected on his experiences with crowd hostility, noting that after his own triumph over Littler in the 2024 final, he endured prolonged negative reactions from fans. He suggested that such treatment often follows elite players: “When you are a top player, I experienced it. It was really, really bad. I don’t really think I’ve done anything wrong. But when you’re at the top, everyone just wants to see you then fall again.”
Humphries urged supporters to “give him a little bit of leeway,” pointing to the alienation successful young stars may feel from their audience. Meanwhile, Littler’s mother, Lisa, took to social media to defend her son against critics, calling the booing spectators “vile” and labelling detractors “idiots.”
Littler returns to the oche today for his quarter-final clash against Krzysztof Ratajski in the opening match of New Year’s Day proceedings. The defending champion is already guaranteed £100,000 for reaching this stage, with a potential prize of £1 million awaiting should he retain his title.
