Jonny Clayton stormed to victory on night three of the Premier League Darts in Glasgow, defeating Gian van Veen 6-2 in the final to become the third different nightly winner this season. The Welshman, returning to the tournament after a two-year hiatus, broke Van Veen in the opening leg and again in the seventh before sealing the win with a stunning 156 checkout. His average in the final was 104.35, though his checkout percentage dropped to 42.86%.
Clayton's path to the title was emphatic. He started by ending a near three-year and 10-match losing run against compatriot Gerwyn Price with a 6-3 quarter-final win, averaging 99.88. He then demolished world number one Luke Littler 6-1 in the semi-finals, averaging 101.33 with a 66.67% checkout rate. Clayton told Sky Sports, "I felt good, my darts are going. Tonight was my night. I'm enjoying myself and when you enjoy what you're doing things seem to happen in you. I've got a bit of experience in this tournament, it's my favourite tournament, and I know what I have to do to get to finals night."
The victory propels Clayton to the top of the early Premier League standings, ahead of Michael van Gerwen—who missed the Glasgow night through illness—and Van Veen, who has now been beaten in two finals this season. World champion Littler and defending Premier League winner Luke Humphries have struggled early on. Littler received a bye to the semi-finals after Van Gerwen's withdrawal but lost 6-1 to Clayton, averaging 97.84 and taking out just one checkout from six attempts. Humphries was edged out 6-5 by Van Veen in the semi-finals, despite beating Josh Rock 6-2 in the quarters. Both Littler and Humphries sit outside the top four currently.
In other results, Stephen Bunting lost 6-3 to Van Veen in the quarter-finals, while Rock was defeated 6-2 by Humphries. Bunting and Rock remain winless after three weeks, with Rock set for home advantage next Thursday in Belfast. The Premier League format sees players earn two points per quarter-final win, an extra point for a semi-final win, and five for winning the night. The top four after 16 weeks progress to the play-offs at London's O2 Arena on 23 May, with the final on 28 May. Next week's quarter-finals in Belfast are: Luke Littler v Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting v Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price, and Gian van Veen v Josh Rock.
