Jonny Clayton silenced his critics and ended a long-standing personal curse to claim his first nightly title since his return, winning Night 3 of the Premier League Darts 2026 in Glasgow. The 51-year-old Welshman, who had been tipped by many to finish bottom beforehand, defeated Gian van Veen 6-2 in the final. "It's great. Obviously it's a great honour to win one of these nights against these players," Clayton said, as per Online Darts.
The victory was built on overcoming a mental hurdle first. Clayton had lost ten consecutive meetings to compatriot Gerwyn Price before finally breaking that streak. "The first job was trying to get Gezzy out – that little thing of losing to him 10 times. That was a big relief really because I've had a few chances against Gezzy before but not taken them. So tonight I took my chances," he explained. He then stormed to a 6-1 victory over Luke Littler before facing van Veen. "I didn't expect to beat the best young player on the planet 6-1, and then to beat Gian in the end – it's my night, it's my night and that's all that counts," Clayton added.
Clayton's performance was marked by high quality, averaging 110 at one stage and missing double six for a 116 checkout before regaining control. He sealed the win with a stylish 156 checkout. "Yeah, it's a good way to finish. So yeah, really happy with that," he remarked. Despite being written off by some analysts as a favourite to finish last, Clayton maintained a down-to-earth approach: "It is what it is, isn't it? I can't change that, can I? I just get up there and try to play my darts and obviously I'm doing something right."
At 51, Clayton embraces the 'grandad' nickname with humor. "I'm a young 51 – a really young 51!" he quipped. "I walk into that practice room and I do get a bit of stick that I'm the oldest in there, don't get me wrong. It's just 'here comes Grandad' kind of thing. But it's all fun, it's all in good heart and that's what you want." Looking ahead, he emphasized the importance of accumulating points to reach the Play-Offs in London for Week 17. "My aim is to get to Week 17 and then who knows? If I win two points on that board every week, it's hard to stop on Week 17," Clayton stated, while noting that Luke Humphries and Luke Littler have yet to win a night but are likely to click soon.
