Brentwood, Essex – What was supposed to be a celebratory atmosphere at the Brentwood Centre in the wake of the UK Open finals descended into chaos last night as a group of agitated darts fans gathered to demand a permanent ban for teenage sensation Luke Littler, accusing him of cheating during his match against reigning champion Luke Humphries.
The protest, organized on social media under the banner “#BanTheCheat,” saw roughly 200 fans descend on the venue, clashing with security and local police. The demonstrators, many adorned in the colors of veteran players, waved signs reading “Littler Lied, Darts Died” and “Permanent Ban for the Fake Phenom.”
The controversy stems from a pivotal moment in the fifth set of the finals. With the scores level, Littler executed a remarkable 170 checkout. However, slow-motion replays circulating online have ignited a firestorm of debate. Detractors claim that as Littler released his final dart, his back foot marginally lifted off the oche—the thin line players must not fully step past—before the dart hit the triple-20.
While match officials did not call a foul, the footage has been fuel for conspiracy theorists and rival fans who argue that Littler’s meteoric rise has been aided by preferential treatment from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
“It’s a travesty. We’ve all seen the footage. His foot was in the air before the dart landed. That’s a foul, plain and simple,” shouted Marcus “Mace” Tobin, a self-proclaimed darts purist from Stoke-on-Trent who helped organize the protest. “They’re letting him get away with it because he’s young and he’s good for ratings. If that was [Gerwyn] Price or [Peter] Wright, they’d have been booed off the stage. He deserves a permanent ban to send a message.”
The protest turned tense when a small faction of the group attempted to push past security barriers at the players’ entrance. Essex Police confirmed they were called to disperse a crowd that had become “hostile.”
“Officers attended the Brentwood Centre following reports of a large gathering and public order concerns,” a police spokesperson said. “The situation was managed to prevent disorder, and no arrests were made. We are monitoring the situation.”
The PDC has remained silent on the matter, issuing only a brief statement earlier in the day: “We are aware of the debate circulating on social media regarding a moment in last night’s UK Open final. All on-stage officials deemed the play legal at the time. We consider the matter closed.”
The 19-year-old Littler, who has taken the darts world by storm this year, has not commented publicly. However, his family, speaking through a representative, expressed fear for his safety, leading to heightened security around his family home in Warrington.
Meanwhile, the man at the center of the match, Luke Humphries, took to social media to plead for calm, calling the accusations “nonsense” and praising Littler as a “worthy champion.”
Yet, for the protesters in Brentwood, the issue is far from settled. As they dispersed in the early hours, chants of “No ban, no peace” echoed through the streets, threatening that this controversy is only the first dart in a much longer game.