Darts results: Jonny Clayton to face Nathan Aspinall in World Matchplay final

By Sporting Life

Darts

Sun July 23, 2023 · 1y ago

Jonny Clayton got the better of Luke Humphries in a tense semi-final at the World Matchplay, earning a showdown with Nathan Aspinall on Sunday.

Aspinall had earlier thumped Joe Cullen 17-9 but by far the pick of Saturday's games came afterwards, as Humphries and Clayton proved hard to separate before the Welshman clinically got the job done at the death.

Humphries held the upper hand through the middle of the match but couldn't shake off The Ferret, who twice went two breaks down but on each occasion quickly got back to within a single leg.

Humphries hit double 10 to move 11-9 in front heading into the final interval and again restored his two-leg lead when Clayton missed bullseye for just the second time this week after he'd been presented with a chance to level the scores.

Clayton managed to hold throw under pressure to again keep within touching distance and then in leg 24 hit tops with his final dart to level the match at 12-12, each player having managed four breaks of throw to this point.

Clayton went on to hold throw to lead for the first time since the end of the seventh leg and now the momentum was his, swinging his way and forcing the pressure in the opposite direction and onto the shoulders of Humphries.

CLAYTON INTO THE FINAL!

Jonny Clayton battles past Luke Humphries to win a Winter Gardens epic!

📺 https://t.co/DTtJ9feFOI | #WMDarts SF pic.twitter.com/tcPJ3JWwSu
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 22, 2023

It began to show in the following leg as Clayton had six darts from 170 against the throw but his single dart at tops fell short, Humphries mopping up to avoid losing four in a row.

At 13-13 it was Clayton needing to take out 70 for a precious hold and he did it with two precise darts, only for Humphries to begin the following leg with his ninth maximum and restore parity at 14-14.

Standards dipped slightly as Clayton held throw with little fuss to edge closer to the finish line, his doubling looking especially assured only to let him down in the following leg as two darts for a break of throw went astray before Humphries pinned a massive double five.

That might have proved decisive but Humphries couldn't build on another 180 to open the next as Clayton hit double 18 under pressure, and the Welshman then capitalised on a vital slip up from his opponent to take out 80 on tops and seal that precious, final break at the end of a brilliant encounter.

It sent Chris Hammer's 20/1 outright selection into the final, where backers will hope he can go again against a potentially fresher Aspinall.

"It's for my fans, for my family, for my dad," said Clayton, whose father has been unwell. "I'm loving it, I'm absolutely loving it. This means a lot to me, to get over the line against one of the best players in the world.

"I hope I can pick that trophy up tomorrow, it's all that counts."