Darts results: Jonny Clayton beats the big three to win his first Premier League Darts night of the season

By Sporting Life

Darts

Fri March 31, 2023 · 2y ago

Jonny Clayton upset the odds against the 'big three' of darts to win his first night of the Premier League season in Berlin.

The Ferret headed to Germany sitting second bottom of the table with just four match wins in eight weeks of action but produced his best spell of darts on the televised darts for quite some time to thrust himself into the play-off picture.

Clayton was fortunate to catch Michael van Gerwen on an off day in the quarter-finals but despite bossing the averages 97 to 89, he still had to hold his nerve in a deciding leg to claim a much-needed 6-5 victory.

The Welshman then snapped a five-match losing streak against his close pal and fellow countryman Gerwyn Price, who was bidding for a third nightly title in a row, as he averaged an impressive 101 during an entertaining 6-4 triumph to reach just his second final of the Premier League season.

Clayton was again the underdog ahead of his clash with world champion Michael Smith, who had narrowly missed a nine-darter during his pulsating semi-final win over Nathan Aspinall in which he hit seven 180s, but despite being outscored, he was far more clinical on his doubles and ran out a 6-4 winner.

BRILLIANCE IN BERLIN! 💥

Jonny Clayton clinches a first nightly win of the 2023 Premier League, defeating the world number one Michael Smith 6-4 in the final!

MvG ✅
Price ✅
Smith ✅

What a night of darts for The Ferret! 🔥

📺 https://t.co/kx9ccUMQvU | #PLDarts Final pic.twitter.com/hvJOfmQPn2
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 30, 2023

The 48-year-old won three straight legs to establish a 3-1 cushion, but after he missed two darts at tops for a 4-1 lead, Smith seized the initiative by reeling off three consecutive legs of his own.

The world number one had converted a stunning 130 checkout in leg six to level, but two missed darts for a 5-3 lead in leg eight ultimately turned the tide.

Clayton capitalised on further missed doubles from Smith in leg nine, firing in a two-dart 85 finish to move to the brink of victory, before he sealed the success with a clinical 120 checkout.

“I know I can do it. I rode my luck a few times, but it’s a nice feeling to get back to winning ways,” reflected Clayton, who topped last year’s league phase with four nightly wins.

“The last two weeks Gerwyn Price absolutely demolished me, and it was difficult. Michael [van Gerwen] didn’t play his game tonight, but I had to concentrate on my own game, and now I’ve got a smile on my face and a win under my belt.

“For some reason, my confidence was brilliant tonight. I felt comfortable and the crowd were absolutely fantastic.

“There is massive pressure every week, but tonight I’ve done the job and the table looks so much better. Hopefully I’m here until the end and I’m going to try my very best!”

HOW CLOSE WAS THAT?! 😩

Michael Smith just the width of a wire away from a perfect leg as he charges into a 3-1 lead and the World Champion is on FIRE! 🔥

📺 https://t.co/kx9ccUMQvU | #PLDarts SF pic.twitter.com/3sRSsZuXTI
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 30, 2023

Clayton was presented with a commemorative "Buddy Bear" by Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Arena to celebrate the title, and he added: "It's a wonderful gift and it will look great in my trophy cabinet.

"It's the most colourful thing I've won and will be a good memory of winning this night."

Smith was bidding to join Van Gerwen and Price in securing multiple nightly victories this season, but he was unable to follow up his Night Three success with glory on German soil.

Despite this, following back-to-back defeats to Chris Dobey in Nottingham and Newcastle, the St Helens star claimed a precious three points to leapfrog Nathan Aspinall and move into third spot.

The world number one secured a comfortable 6-3 win over Dimitri Van den Bergh in his opener, before producing the performance of the night in his last four victory against Aspinall.

The Premier League Darts table after nine weeks

Smith wired double 12 for the first nine-darter of this year’s tournament in leg four, and he maintained that blistering form to progress with a 104 average and seven maximums.

In Thursday’s other quarter-finals, Price cut Van Gerwen’s lead at the summit to five points with a convincing victory over 2017 runner-up Peter Wright.

The Welsh superstar recovered from an inauspicious start to triumph with a 101 average, reeling off five straight legs to leave Wright seven points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Aspinall, meanwhile, moved through to his seventh semi-final in nine weeks with a superb 6-4 success against Dobey, averaging over 103 to prevail in a high-quality contest.