Jonny Clayton edged closer to confirming his spot in the BetMGM Premier League Play-Offs after claiming his third nightly victory in Brighton on Thursday. Clayton returned to top spot in the standings after taking the Night Ten title at The Brighton Centre, seeing off Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and Michael van Gerwen to pick up […]
Jonny Clayton edged closer to confirming his spot in the BetMGM Premier League Play-Offs after claiming his third nightly victory in Brighton on Thursday.
Clayton returned to top spot in the standings after taking the Night Ten title at The Brighton Centre, seeing off Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and Michael van Gerwen to pick up five more points to increase his tally to 24.
The Welsh number one defeated Van Gerwen in dramatic fashion in the final, coming back from 5-2 down and surviving four match darts to come off the canvas and prevail.
“At 5-2 down, I must be honest, I was thinking my night was over,” confessed the 51-year-old, as Van Gerwen was averaging north of 105 a leg away from victory.
“Michael was playing well, but he missed and gave me a chance. I snuck back into it somehow, I think my best leg of the night was the last leg.
“Obviously I’m over the moon with the win because I did believe I was out – it was meant to be!
“I’ve got a massive smile on my face and I’m back on top of the league, and that’s all that matters for now.”
Clayton’s nightly win may be put down to two clutch 84 checkouts on the bullseye – the first coming in a deciding-leg shootout against Humphries after surviving a match dart, and the second against Van Gerwen to draw the match level at 5-5.
The 2021 Premier League champion is operating as the second-best finisher behind fellow Welshman Gerwyn Price with a checkout percentage of 45.34%, with such finishing proving the difference across many Premier League nights so far.
“My confidence is high, so we will go for it,” explained Clayton on his trademark bullseye finishes.
“Tonight, I had to go for those finishes and they both landed – against Luke, and then to go 5-5 against Michael.
“I practice a lot on the bull, in darts you use a lot of the bull. Tonight, I actually found the bull – many a time I miss them!”
A third nightly win of the season means Clayton reclaimed top spot in the Premier League, leapfrogging Luke Littler and Price in the process, who both faced quarter-final defeats on the south coast.
Crucially, The Ferret now holds a 12-point buffer on Gian van Veen in fifth, hugely bolstering his Play-Off chances.
Nevertheless, he insists that he does not care where he finishes as long as he is present on Finals Night at the O2, a thought process likely driven by his previous experiences in the competition.
Clayton won the Premier League after finishing fourth in the standings in 2021, while losing in the semi-finals the following year after topping the table.
“It’s great to be top, but I just want to be in the top four,” affirmed Clayton.
“If I’m first, second, third or fourth, I really don’t care, I just want to be at the O2.
“Wherever I’ll finish off, hopefully it’s in that top four, and you’ll see me on week 17.
“I wouldn’t say it’s done for the Play-Offs, but I think if I can pick a few more points up, two points maybe, then maybe I can say yes.
“Obviously it’s good, I have a good buffer between myself and fifth, so fingers crossed I will be there.”
Clayton continues his pursuit for the Play-Offs in Rotterdam against home hero Van Gerwen, as he looks to replicate his victory in Brighton’s showpiece clash.