Jonny Clayton produced three superb performances to win night eight of the Premier League season in Birmingham.
The Ferret, who has been relatively out of sorts since he triumphed in Liverpool way back on night two, thrashed Michael Smith 6-1 in his opening tie with an average of 99 before raising his levels even higher to defy Peter Wright's power scoring in the semi-finals.
Snakebite fired in six 180s and averaged 107.71 compared to his opponent's impressive 103.68 but Clayton's clinical finishing punished him for missing 11 of his 15 darts at doubles as he ran out a 6-4 winner.
Clayton saved his best till last, however, averaging a spectacular 111.16 against James Wade, who simply ran out of steam having earlier defeated Michael van Gerwen and Joe Cullen by 6-2 scorelines to lift himself off the bottom of the table.
The Machine averaged just 83.97 in the final, where the gulf in class was summed up by the opening two visits.
"When they go like that I think I'm one of the best in the world, so tonight was brilliant," said the 47-year-old after his win.
"The field that we're in is absolutely fantastic, there are no gimmes and I think tonight was as well as I can throw. I'm chasing Michael, so hopefully I can pass him next week.
"It's great to win these nights but I want to be in that top four to try and retain my title."
A 6-5 defeat to Wright in the quarter-finals saw recent Nottingham winner Gary Anderson drop to the foot of the Premier League table after eight of 16 league nights ahead of June's Play-Offs.
The darting roadshow will continue on Thursday April 7 for Night 9, with the players heading to the First Direct Arena in Leeds as the Β£1 million tournament continues.
The quarter-finals will see Clayton begin his bid for a third win of the season against Cullen, while Wade faces Price, Anderson plays Van Gerwen and Wright meets Smith.
Premier League night 8 results and averages
Quarter-Finals
- Michael van Gerwen (87.93) 2-6 (99) James Wade
- Joe Cullen (93.69) 6-3 (92.02) Gerwyn Price
- Peter Wright (97.2) 6-5 (92.49) Gary Anderson
- Jonny Clayton (99.53) 6-1 (99.81) Michael Smith
Semi-Finals
- James Wade (94.78) 6-2 (86.38) Joe Cullen
- Peter Wright (107.71) 4-6 (104.17) Jonny Clayton
Final
- James Wade (83.97) 1-6 (111.16) Jonny Clayton
Premier League Table & Format
NW = Nights won, RU = Runner-up, SF = Semi-final defeats, MW = Matches won
- MVG NW 2 RU 1 SF 2 MW 10 LegD +23 Pts 17
- Clayton NW 2 RU 1 SF 2 MW 10 LegD +6 Pts 17
- Wright NW 1 RU 1 SF 5 MW 9 LegD +2 Pts 16
- Cullen NW 1 RU 1 SF 2 MW 7 LegD -4 Pts 12
- Wade NW 0 RU 2 SF 2 MW 6 LegD -5 Pts 10
- Price NW 1 RU 0 SF 2 MW 5 LegD -3 Pts 9
- Smith NW 0 RU 2 SF 1 MW 5 LegD -6 Pts 8
- Anderson NW 1 RU 0 SF 1 MW 4 LegD -7 Pts 7
Each night will see quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final played over the best of 11 legs (first to six). Each player will meet the other seven players twice over the course of the season in a quarter-final game, plus two further nights (Night Eight and Night 16) will feature additional fixtures in the same format. Those fixtures will be a draw bracket based on how the league table looks at the time. So, whoever is top will face the eighth-placed player in the first round.
- Night Winner - 5 points + Β£10,000 bonus
- Runner-Up - 3 points
- Semi-Finalists - 2 points
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