Luke Littler quieted the vocal Liverpool supporters and trimmed the distance at the summit of the Premier League standings with a commanding 6-1 triumph over Jonny Clayton on Night 12. While Clayton still clings to the league lead, holding 32 points with four regular weeks left, Littler’s victory lifts him to 29 points, just three points shy of the top spot.
Gerwyn Price occupies third place on 19 points, and Michael van Gerwen sits fourth with 18. Gian van Veen follows on 14, and defending champion Luke Humphries is sixth with 13, meaning the race to the season‑ending Finals Night is entering its decisive phase.
This win marks Littler’s fourth consecutive nightly victory of the campaign. The Manchester‑born youngster endured a chorus of jeers from a largely partisan Liverpool crowd that had rallied behind his opponent all evening. Despite the hostile atmosphere, Littler remained composed, particularly on the doubles, and secured a crucial win that bolsters his bid to head into Finals Night as the league leader. "It was a good night.
I'm very happy with myself," Littler told Sky Sports after the match. He added, "Usually the doubling is not there, but I'm very thankful it was tonight. A lot of crucial doubles at crucial times. I'm very close to Jonny now, three points off.
I'm going to go chasing – I want to finish top once again – and if it’s not to be, it’s not to be. But there are still four weeks to go." In the final against Clayton, Littler surged ahead to a 5‑0 lead, denying the Welshman any foothold in the contest. Clayton’s only early checkout opportunities came from the bullseye, and although he managed to stop the rout and avoid a whitewash, the effort merely delayed Littler’s inevitable victory by a single leg. Earlier in the night, Littler had also survived a fierce challenge from Michael van Gerwen in a semi‑final that went the distance.
Van Gerwen displayed classic form, hitting nine maximums, converting 71% of his doubles and posting a 107.54 average. Yet Littler, showing resilience and tactical adjustment, turned a 3‑1 deficit into a win, showcasing his own finishing prowess.
The match seemed to swing back in Van Gerwen’s favour when he broke Littler’s throw with an 11‑dart finish to lead 5‑4 and set up a match dart. Littler responded by breaking back immediately, celebrating the turn of events and eventually clinching the deciding leg. In the final leg, the world number one produced a decisive 180, leaving himself on 46, which he finished on the treble 14 before handing the crowd a moment of celebration.
Meanwhile, Luke Humphries suffered a heavy blow to his Premier League aspirations, losing 6‑2 to Littler in the quarter‑finals and exiting Liverpool without any further points. Although Humphries scored heavily, his double conversion rate fell to a mere 18%, allowing Littler to race to a 4‑0 lead by hitting four consecutive legs. Humphries managed to hold his throw twice, but it was insufficient, marking his seventh defeat to the world number one in their last eight encounters.
Jonny Clayton, despite the loss to Littler, secured his place in a sixth nightly final by edging Gian van Veen 6‑5 in a thrilling encounter. Van Veen started strongly, leading 2‑0, but Clayton demonstrated his battle‑hardened temperament, weathering a series of break‑of‑throw exchanges. He produced a massive 121 checkout to level the match at 3‑3, later hitting a spectacular 156 checkout to move within one leg of victory. Van Veen fought back, breaking again to tie the scores at 5‑5, but missed a match dart at the bull.
Clayton responded with a maximum, then finished on double 16 under pressure to claim the win. Clayton also survived a nail‑biting 6‑5 quarter‑final against hometown favourite Stephen Bunting. The match was a pure throw‑alternating affair, and as he has done throughout the season, Clayton grew into the game, kept his composure and sealed the decider on double 8, much to the disappointment of the partisan Liverpudlian fans.
This consistency has seen him amass nine quarter‑final victories over the twelve weeks of the Premier League. Elsewhere on the night, Gian van Veen opened his campaign with a tight 6‑4 win over Gerwyn Price, showcasing his newly introduced darts.
Michael van Gerwen also started positively, dispatching Josh Rock 6‑3 in a comprehensive performance. Looking ahead, the question of who will ultimately claim this year’s Premier League Darts remains open. Defending champion Luke Humphries will be looking to retain his title, and fans can follow the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports or stream the matches via NOW.
The remaining weeks promise intense battles as the leaders jostle for the top spot and the coveted Finals Night positions.