Luke Littler fears a player will walk off stage in protest at unruly behaviour if the menace of phantom whistlers is not stamped out.

The world champion resumes his defence of the BetMGM Premier League Darts crown in Dublin on Thursday against Gerwyn Price – who is no stranger to hostile crowds.

In his PDC World Championship quarter-final defeat by Gabriel Clemens two years ago, the ‘Iceman’ famously wore a pair of headphones to drown out the jeers and catcalls of the Ally Pally morons.

Littler won his first instalment of this year’s Thursday night Premier League circus in Glasgow last week, when the partisan Caledonian hordes subjected Rob Cross and Luke Humphries to mindless whistles and hollering on game shots.

Cross blew a 5-1 lead to lose 6-5 against Luke the Nuke in the opening quarter-final, and world No.1 Humphries was given the same treatment as Littler edged the final 6-5. The former boy wonder did not threaten to suspend a match with his own walkout if there is any repeat at the 13,000-capacity 3Arena.

But several times in the past, he has summoned the sportsmanship to remonstrate with ill-mannered crowds trying to distract his opponent, gesturing with both hands to quieten their bawdy soundtrack.

Littler said: “Obviously we wouldn’t want it to happen to anyone. But if (walking off) was the worst case, then I am sure a player… has he got the right to walk off stage? Maybe. Or maybe not.

“And if a player does walk off stage, then I’m sure the security people have got to do their job and obviously kick whoever is whistling or whatever they are doing – just kick them out. Then us players, we can get on with it. Obviously it’s not a good thing for any fans to be whistling, whether it’s at me or my opponent.

“For example, when Rob Cross missed two (match) darts at double 18 last week, when they whistled, he missed. I’d say it was the crowd’s fault that he did miss because you never see Rob miss double 18. Then I just had to take my chance and go five each.”

The Professional Darts Corporation, who issued a strongly-worded statement to denounce the behaviour in Glasgow, will be monitoring the decorum intently, although Dublin crowds are not noted for watching darts in monastic silence, nor for partisan hostility.

Littler, meanwhile, will be looking for his first win in five meetings with Price, who averaged a breathtaking 115.31 to beat the newly-crowned world champion in Bahrain last month.

His Nukeship said: “I wouldn’t say Gezzy’s my bogeyman. Obviously, he played out of his skin in Bahrain. I couldn’t do much against him there, and he’s played brilliant against me near enough every time. I’ve just got to make sure tomorrow night that I win that first game and guarantee myself some more points on the board.”

Then Littler will rush home from Dublin to watch his beloved Warrington’s Super League home game with Catalan Dragons – on the night the Wolves rename their Halliwell Jones home the Luke Littler Stadium in his honour. He said: “I can’t wait – “I think it still holds 15,000, the Halliwell Jones. It will be my stadium and it will be a special night.”

TONIGHT’S GAMES: Luke Humphries v Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price v Luke Littler, Rob Cross v Nathan Aspinall, Michael van Gerwen v Chris Dobey

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