Clayton Extends Premier League Lead with Victory over Littler in Rotterdam

Jonny Clayton strengthened his position at the top of the Premier League Darts standings with a 6-4 win over Luke Littler in the Rotterdam final. This marks Clayton's fourth nightly victory in the 2026 campaign, following his successes in Glasgow, Nottingham, and Brighton. Clayton now has a five-point advantage at the top of the table with 29 points, while Littler is in second place with 24 points. Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen trail behind with 19 and 16 points, respectively. Clayton's win has all but secured his spot at the Finals Night at The O2 in May. Littler, despite making it to his fourth nightly final, was unable to secure the win. However, he did manage to silence the Rotterdam crowd after they booed him during his walk-on. The night saw two Dutch players, Gian van Veen and van Gerwen, compete in the Premier League for the first time since 2019, but both lost in the quarter-finals. Clayton expressed his motivation, stating that being labeled as the favorite to finish at the bottom of the Premier League had annoyed him. He holds a massive smile on his face now, given his current success. Clayton praised Littler, calling him an amazing darts player, but noted that the 'old dog has got some life in him yet.' The final match saw Clayton come back from a 2-0 deficit to win 6-4. He also showed his ability to win ugly, defeating Josh Rock 6-5 in the semi-finals. Clayton had earlier dominated van Gerwen 6-2, ending the Dutch crowd's hopes of a home winner. Littler started strong, silencing the crowd with a 6-3 win over Price, and later defeated Luke Humphries 6-5 to reach the final. Humphries did pick up a quarter-final win over Van Veen, while Rock remains at the bottom of the table despite his recent improvement in form.