Jonny Clayton claimed his first night success on Night 9 of the 2023 competition after beating World Number 1 Michael Smith 6-4 in the Final, winning £10,000 at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin.
The Ferret moves within striking distance of the Premier League Play-Off positions. The Welshman is only 3pts behind 4th placed Nathan Aspinall with the pair will facing off in a crucial battle next week in Birmingham as the race for the Top 4 begins to heat up.
The Pontyberem thrower found success against 3 of the World’s top 4 players in the German capital, including league leader Michael van Gerwen in the Quarter Finals, before edging out compatriot Gerwyn Price.
Clayton included 4 x 180s in claiming a 6-5 victory over Mighty Mike in the 3rd match of the night, finding double 7 with his last dart in hand to deal the 6-time Premier League winner only his 2nd Quarter Final defeat of this year’s Premier League.
The 2021 Premier League Champion then faced Gerwyn Price in the Semi’s, with the Iceman beating his compatriot in the previous 2 weeks in Nottingham and Newcastle. Clayton gained his revenge with a 6-4 win at the Mercedes Benz Arena, including an average of 101.43 and a 40% checkout rate.
Michael Smith came through the other half of the draw, beating Dimitri van den Bergh and Nathan Aspinall to reach his 3rd Final of the 2023 Premier League. Bully Boy came close to hitting the 1st 9 dart leg of the tournament, missing double 12 against the Asp in the Semi Finals.
Clayton recovered from 4-3 down in Berlin to beat the defending World Champion 6-4 in the Final on Night 9, reeling the last 3 legs of the match to clinch his first win of this year’s league phase. The Welshman claimed 4 night wins in 2022 after conquering Glasgow, Aberdeen, Liverpool and Birmingham to finish top of last year’s table.
The Premier League heads to Birmingham once more next week for Night 10, as the Ferret prepares to take on 4th placed Nathan Aspinall in a huge match for the Play Off positions.
Premier League Night 9 Results:
Quarter Finals:
Michael Smith 6-3 Dimitri van den Bergh
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Chris Dobey
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
Gerwyn Price 6-3 Peter Wright
Semi-Finals:
Michael Smith 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Gerwyn Price
Final:
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Michael Smith
Premier League Table:
- Michael van Gerwen: 25pts
- Gerwyn Price: 20pts
- Michael Smith: 15pts
- Nathan Aspinall: 15pts
- Jonny Clayton: 12pts
- Chris Dobey: 10pts
- Dimitri van den Bergh: 9pts
- Peter Wright: 2pts
—–ENDS—-
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