Luke Littler will ‘beat me up’ after boos and gesture as Premier League Darts star teases worry
Jonny Clayton joked that Luke Littler will ‘beat him up’ after winning Premier League Darts Night 11 in Rotterdam, stretching his lead at the top of the table as Littler was booed throughout
Jonny Clayton and Luke Littler following the Night 11 final in Premier League Darts(Image: Getty Images)
Jonny Clayton joked that Luke Littler will “come back” and “beat me up” after he extended his advantage at the summit of the Premier League Darts standings by claiming Night 11 in Rotterdam.
Clayton comfortably defeated home favourite Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-final 6-2 before facing an improved Josh Rock in the semi-final. Despite averaging EIGHT points fewer than his rival, it was Clayton who crossed the finishing line 6-5.
The Welshman faced off against Littler in a blockbuster final and he managed to edge past the world No.2 with a 6-4 victory, landing seven 180s and averaging just over 95.
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It represented Clayton’s fourth night triumph of the campaign and has expanded his cushion over second-placed Littler to five points and he sits a massive 16 clear of Luke Humphries, who finds himself just beyond the play-off positions.
When questioned about defeating Littler, Clayton quipped during his press conference: “I’m not going to say anything because Littler will come back and beat me up.
“He’s got everything that every other player wishes for. He’s got that attitude, he’s got the throw, he’s got the mentality. He’s got everything. What a player and to beat him, I’ve done my job.
“I had to do something special because it’s my 20th anniversary today and I did forget!” added Clayton, who has secured the previous two Premier League nights in Rotterdam and Brighton.
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“I watched last week’s game against Michael [van Gerwen] and it hurt a little bit when someone said I was favourite to finish bottom. That really hurt. It annoyed me a bit to be honest. It’s going good for me now and I’ve got a massive smile on my face.”
Clayton boasts a strong recent record against Littler, winning three of their last four matches.
Meanwhile, Littler boosted his chances of reaching the play-offs at London’s O2 Arena by securing his fourth final in seven weeks, defeating Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries to climb to 24 points in the standings.
Speaking to Sky Sports following his quarter-final victory over Price, Littler said: “It was exactly what I expected, the boos and whistles. But I knew as soon as I got on stage I could do my job. I was practising very well before the game.”
Three-time world champion Glen Durrant commented: “You called it frosty. I called it hostile. But that’s what the Premier League is about. He didn’t react each time he was winning legs; he wasn’t allowing the crowd to get involved.
“Price was nowhere his best; he averaged under 90 which was a bit of a disappointment, but Littler dealt with the situation incredibly well. There was an unbelievable atmosphere in here.”
Littler seemed to gesture to the Rotterdam crowd to ‘calm down’ after his semi-final triumph against Humphries. The two-time world champion had faced jeers throughout the evening following his confrontation with Gian van Veen earlier this month.
On the ninth night of this year’s Premier League, Littler locked horns with Van Veen in the quarter-final. The score was deadlocked at 5-5 and the Dutchman had a match dart on double 15 but narrowly missed.
Littler seemed to revel in the mistake, leading Van Veen to fix him with a glare, and the 19-year-old retorted with a ‘crybaby’ gesture before suffering a 6-5 defeat in Manchester. Both players have since given their take on the incident and Littler faced a chorus of boos during his three matches on Thursday.
