Jonny Clayton leapfrogs Michael van Gerwen at the top of the Premier League table following his latest success in front of 8,000 spectators at the P&J Live in Aberdeen; 'The Ferret' upsets Gary Anderson and Peter Wright before seeing off MVG in the final
Friday 22 April 2022 06:18, UK
Reigning Premier League champion Jonny Clayton claimed his third weekly title by defeating Gary Anderson, Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen to lay down a marker in Aberdeen.
'The Ferret' made it a miserable night for the Scots as he defeated both Anderson and Wright en route to the final where he survived a match dart before making it a hat-trick of night wins with a rip-roaring victory over Van Gerwen.
Clayton battled back from 4-2 down to defeat the Dutchman 6-5 with a 103 average to leapfrog the Dutchman at the top of the Premier League standings.
"By Night 16 I don't care where I am as long as I'm in the top four," said Clayton, who backed up his previous successes in Liverpool and Birmingham.
"The crowd were on my back all night as you'd expect with playing two Scottish guys but I got on with it.
"I did my job in the last leg and pulled through to win it. To beat Michael puts a smile on my face.
"Every time Michael and I play it's a good game. There have been a lot of times when I've stood behind Michael and lost 6-0 or 6-1 but you pick little things up off him to improve your game."
Clayton started the evening with a clinical 6-2 success against home favourite Anderson, leaving 'The Flying Scotsman' rooted firmly to the bottom of the table.
He then took on Wright for a place in the final after 'Snakebite' delighted the Scottish crowd with a tense 6-5 victory over Joe Cullen.
But Clayton ended Wright's hopes of victory in Scotland with a stunning 6-5 win to reach his fourth Premier League final.
Van Gerwen came from 3-2 down to defeat Gerwyn Price 6-3 with a 106 average, denting the Welshman's hopes of reaching the play-offs, before defeating James Wade by the same score in a scrappy contest, to tee up a final showdown with Clayton.
Wade was looking for back-to-back night wins as he came through a deciding leg on throw to pinch a narrow 6-5 victory over Michael Smith, whose Premier League woes continued.
The Premier League roadshow heads to Dublin's 3Arena next Thursday, as Clayton takes on Wright in a key match in the Play-Off race.
The night's other quarter-finals will see Wade face Van Gerwen, while Price takes on Cullen and Smith plays Anderson.
Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. We're back for more Premier League action from the 3Arena in Dublin on Thursday, April 28 - live on Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Action from 7pm.
