Jonny Clayton (Photo PDC)
Jonny Clayton claimed Night Ten glory in Brighton to recapture top spot in the Premier League standings last night.
Clayton scooped his third nightly victory of the campaign thanks to a trio of hard-fought wins over Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and Michael van Gerwen in the final to reinstate his position at the summit of the standings.
The Welsh number one pipped defending champion Humphries in a last-leg decider in his opening fixture, taking a clutch 84 outshot on the bullseye after surviving a match dart to sink the world number two.
Clayton then overturned his recent form against Rock to down the Northern Irishman 6-4, confirming his position in top spot and setting up a final against Van Gerwen.
The 2021 Premier League champion struck a majestic 140 checkout to take a 1-0 lead in the contest, but found himself trailing 3-1 and then 5-2 after a fantastic surge by Van Gerwen, who was averaging over 105 as he closed in on a second nightly win.
However, Clayton rallied in a remarkable comeback, surviving two match darts at 5-2 down and another pair of match darts at 5-4 down before levelling the contest with another 84 kill on the bullseye to make it 5-5.
The 51-year-old then saw out the last-leg decider with a composed 12-darter to complete the comeback and seal nightly victory on the south coast in style.
“I’m back on top of the table, and it’s time for Luke Littler to start chasing me again!” declared Clayton, who now possesses a three-point gap over second-placed Luke Littler in the standings.
“I thought the game was over at 5-2 against Michael, but you have to take your chances, and that last leg was probably my best leg of the game.
“Obviously I lost to Josh [Rock] in the last couple of weeks, and it puts you under pressure.
“Coming into tonight I was just hoping for two points. Anything after that was a bonus, so to win the night is great.
“It’s another trophy for the cabinet and I’m back on top, so I’m happy!”
Van Gerwen reached his fourth nightly final of the campaign after battling through tight contests against Dutch compatriot Gian van Veen and two-time World Championship semi-finalist Stephen Bunting.
The seven-time Premier League champion pipped Van Veen to a 6-4 win, capitalising on poor doubling from the world number three to move into the semi-finals.
The Dutch number two then edged past Bunting in a last-leg decider, increasing his buffer in the Play-Off places to four points.
In the other quarter-finals, Rock bagged his third consecutive opening-round win with a 6-3 success against Gerwyn Price, climbing up to six points and halting the Welshman’s push for top spot.
Bunting put out an off-colour Littler 6-4 to move up to sixth in the standings, as the World Champion recorded the lowest televised PDC average of his career.
Next week, the Premier League moves across the English Channel, as Rotterdam hosts another crucial night of action.
Dutch number one Van Veen will host Humphries on his first Premier League night on home soil, as home hero Van Gerwen faces Clayton.
Littler locks horns with Price in a crucial battle near the top of the table, while Bunting hopes to make further inroads towards the Play-Offs as he takes on Rock.
Ranking points will be awarded per night – with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists – to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday May 28.
RESULTS
Quarter-Finals
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Luke Humphries
Josh Rock 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Stephen Bunting 6-4 Luke Littler
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Gian van Veen
Semi-Finals
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Josh Rock
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Final
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
