Jonny Clayton (Photo PDC)
Jonny Clayton hopes to reinforce his position at the summit of the Premier League standings as the darting roadshow arrives in Liverpool tonight.
Night Twelve of the tournament takes place at the Liverpool Arena, with Clayton pitted against home favourite Stephen Bunting as he looks to extend his five-point lead at the top of the table.
The Welsh number one has had a staggering campaign, claiming four nightly wins from 11 weeks, including back-to-back triumphs in Brighton and then Rotterdam last week.
The 2021 Premier League champion has won two of his three matches against Bunting in this year’s Premier League, and despite being all but certain to qualify for Finals Night in May, has not satiated his hunger for nightly wins just yet.
“We’re all out to win nights and get points, so two nightly wins on the trot is great – it puts a smile on my face,” said Clayton, who holds a 16-point buffer on fifth-placed Luke Humphries.
“I don’t give up. I’ve been behind a few times and still came through and won.
“Twenty-nine points is a good score to be on. Hopefully it’s enough for the Play-Offs and I’m there.
“I’ve got five weeks left and hopefully I can win five of them!”
Clayton’s World Cup partner Price has also had a fruitful Premier League campaign to date, sitting in third after scooping a brace of nightly wins in Antwerp and Manchester.
The 41-year-old recently picked up his tenth European Tour title and second ranking title of the year at last weekend’s European Darts Grand Prix, and enters Night Twelve in fine fettle.
The former World Champion has the highest checkout percentage in this year’s Premier League, and will look to carry such clutch finishing into his opening match against Gian van Veen on the Dutchman’s 24th birthday.
“Thankfully I won this one, and hopefully it will give me a bit of confidence going forward,” said Price, after bulldozing his way to European Tour glory in Sindelfingen on Sunday with a tournament average just shy of a ton.
“That was the first ProTour event I’ve played in for over a month, and I needed it as on Thursday [in Rotterdam] I was a little bit rusty.
“Going into this week, I’ve got a tough game against Gian up in Liverpool, but I’m full of confidence now and hopefully I can build on this.”
In the other quarter-finals, the world number one and two collide as Luke Littler takes on Luke Humphries in a crucial tie for the Play-Off race.
World Champion Littler sits in solid stead in second on 24 points, whilst defending Premier League champion Humphries – three points adrift of a spot at The O2 as it stands – has work to do to reach Finals Night.
Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen will do battle with Josh Rock, as the seven-time Premier League champion hopes to bolster his chances of reaching the Play-Offs for an incredible 12th occasion.
Van Gerwen’s 16 points is double that of Rock in eighth, yet the Northern Irishman has won his last four consecutive quarter-finals and hopes to produce what would be a remarkable late burst to The O2.
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.
Quarter-Finals Schedule
Gian van Veen v Gerwyn Price
Stephen Bunting v Jonny Clayton
Josh Rock v Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries v Luke Littler
