Welsh wizard Jonny Clayton was all smiles in Scotland as he swept to victory in Glasgow, defeating Gian van Veen in the final and punctuating the triumph with a sumptuous 156 checkout that felt both emphatic and theatrical.
After an opening-night salvo on Tyneside and a vibrant Belgian bow, the Premier League caravan rolled into its third destination of the campaign – Glasgow.
Michael van Gerwen was absent through illness, yet his withdrawal did little to mute the Caledonian chorus.
The Scottish faithful were in full-throated, celebratory voice from first dart to last. A former Premier League champion, Clayton seized the evening as an opportunity for catharsis.
The Ferret exorcised a lingering psychological spectre by finally overcoming compatriot and World Cup ally Gerwyn Price, delivering a spellbinding performance to terminate a ten-match losing sequence stretching back almost three years.
It was liberation rendered in tungsten.
Luke Littler, granted safe passage into the semi-finals due to Van Gerwen’s absence, endured a protracted wait before launching his campaign. When it did commence, however, his customary clinical precision deserted him.
Clayton was majestic in both accumulation and annihilation; Littler, by contrast, laboured uncharacteristically on the outer ring, converting just one of six attempts. That’s also another monkey dispatched for Jonny – it had been a year since he had last subdued the teenage phenomenon.
Inevitably, whispers regarding the teenager’s form so far will circulate. Having opted to bypass the opening quartet of Players Championship events, is there the faintest trace of competitive corrosion affecting the back-to-back world champion?
Meanwhile, Gian van Veen continues to mature into the Premier League stage with striking composure. The young Dutchman, already a runner-up in his debut appearance in Newcastle, he appears increasingly comfortable amid the weekly gladiatorial theatre.
The Giant dismantled Stephen Bunting with a scintillating 104.36 average in a contest where the Liverpudlian scarcely erred – a cruel reflection of the Premier League’s unforgiving margins.
In the semi-final, Van Veen’s resilience surfaced again. Trailing 4-2 to reigning champion Luke Humphries – who had earlier dispatched Josh Rock – the 23-year-old compiled three successive legs to usurp control. The match oscillated, tension thickening, yet the two-time World Youth champion held his nerve, surviving a match dart to secure a second final in three weeks.
Though denied ultimate glory once more, Van Veen departs bolstered by three invaluable points – a haul that doubles his overall tally as he continues his calculated pursuit of May’s grand crescendo at the O2.
A few weeks into the campaign, Clayton finds himself perched imperiously at the summit – a vantage point he will be quietly determined to fortify rather than fleetingly admire.
At the opposite extremity, Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock remain anchored without a point to their names, though the season is still in its embryonic phase and far from unforgiving. Opportunity remains abundant.
The caravan now advances to Belfast, where Rock returns to home soil in search of ignition, inspiration and overdue resurgence.
PREMIER LEAGUE – NIGHT THREE Glasgow, Scotland (19.02.2026)
Quarter-Finals
Gian van Veen 6-3 Stephen Bunting
Luke Humphries 6-2 Josh Rock
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Luke Littler W-D Michael van Gerwen
Semi-Finals
Gian van Veen 6-5 Luke Humphries
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Luke Littler
Final
Jonny Clayton 6-2 Gian van Veen
—-ends—–
Images: PDC
