Clayton Impressed by Littler's Composure in Hostile Rotterdam Crowd

Welsh darts player Jonny Clayton praised Luke Littler's ability to remain unfazed by the hostile crowd in Rotterdam, as Clayton secured his second consecutive nightly win in the Premier League. Clayton's fourth nightly win of the campaign extended his lead at the top of the table to five points, after he claimed his third win against world champion Littler this year. Clayton defeated home favorite Michael van Gerwen, Josh Rock, and Littler to emerge victorious at the Rotterdam Ahoy, increasing his points tally to 29 after just 11 weeks. The Welsh No 1 initially trailed 2-0, but rallied to take three legs straight and later secured a clutch 78 outshot to move within one leg of victory. Although Littler threatened a comeback with a 15-dart hold, Clayton capitalized on his opponent's profligate finishing to take out tops and secure the win. Clayton joked that he wouldn't praise Littler too much, fearing a comeback from his opponent. Clayton holds a 16-point buffer from fifth in the Play-Off race and reflected on his 20th anniversary, saying he had to do something special. Littler bolstered his chances of a Play-Off spot by making his fourth final in seven weeks, seeing off Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock to move up to 24 points in the standings. Three-time world champion Glen Durrant praised Littler's composure, saying he didn't react to the crowd and dealt with the situation incredibly well. The Premier League heads to Liverpool, where home hero Stephen Bunting will face Clayton, and Luke Humphries will face Littler. The top four players will progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday, May 28.