Luke Littler quieted the vocal Liverpool audience and tightened the Premier League race with a commanding 6-1 triumph over Jonny Clayton on Night 12. The victory reduced the gap between the two contenders, leaving Clayton still atop the standings with 32 points after four regular weeks remain, while Littler closed in to 29 points, just three points shy of the leader. In third place, Gerwyn Price holds 19 points, followed by Michael van Gerwen on 18.
Gian van Veen sits on 14, and defending champion Luke Humphries is sixth with 13 points, underscoring how the battle for the coveted Finals Night is entering its decisive phase. This win marks Littler’s fourth nightly victory of the campaign.
The Manchester native endured jeers from a partisan Liverpool crowd that had firmly backed his opponent throughout the evening, yet he remained composed, particularly on the crucial doubles, and secured a vital step toward finishing the league season in the top spot. "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's still four weeks to go." In the final against Clayton, Littler raced to a 5-0 lead, denying the Welshman any early foothold. Clayton’s only checkout chances in the opening three legs came via the bullseye.
Although Clayton managed to stop the rout and avoid a whitewash, his resistance only delayed Littler’s victory by a single leg. Earlier in the night, Littler had also outlasted Michael van Gerwen in a dramatic 6-5 semi‑final. Van Gerwen displayed a classic performance, hitting nine 180s, converting 71 % of his doubles and posting a 107.54 average.
Yet Littler weathered the pressure, altered his darts, and turned a 3-1 deficit into a winning finish. At one point van Gerwen seemed destined to clinch the match after an 11‑dart break gave him a 5-4 edge and a chance to throw for the win. Littler responded by breaking straight back, celebrating the turn‑around and ultimately sealing the leg. The world No 1 even produced a 180 at the most pivotal moment of the deciding leg, setting himself up on 46, which he cleared with a tops finish before handing the crowd a brief moment of triumph.
Luke Humphries suffered a heavy blow to his Premier League aspirations when he fell 6-2 to Littler in the quarter‑finals, leaving him without further points from Liverpool. Although Humphries scored higher overall, his double conversion rate slipped to just 18 %, allowing Littler to string together four consecutive legs and build a 4-0 lead.
Humphries managed to hold his throw twice, but it was insufficient, marking his seventh defeat to the world No 1 in their last eight meetings. Clayton, meanwhile, secured his place in a sixth nightly final with a tense 6-5 win over Gian van Veen. Van Veen started strongly, taking a 2-0 lead, but Clayton demonstrated his battle‑hardened nature, weathering a series of break‑of‑throw exchanges before holding to level the match at 3-3 with a massive 121 checkout.
After another hold, Clayton, known as "The Ferret," produced a sensational 156 checkout to move one leg from victory. Van Veen fought back, breaking again to tie the scores at 5-5.
A missed match dart at the bull by Van Veen gave Clayton the chance; he responded with a maximum and then finished on double 16 under pressure, clinching the win in Liverpool. Clayton also survived a nail‑biting 6-5 quarter‑final against hometown favourite Stephen Bunting. The match swung back and forth, but Clayton’s composure shone through as he secured the decider on double 8, much to the disappointment of the Liverpudlian crowd.
This consistency has seen Clayton amass his ninth quarter‑final victory in the 12‑week league. Elsewhere on the night, Gian van Veen opened his campaign with a tight 6-4 win over Gerwyn Price, debuting new darts in the process.
Michael van Gerwen also started strongly, dispatching Josh Rock 6-3. The Premier League Darts title race remains wide open. Defending champion Luke Humphries will look to retain his crown as the league continues each Thursday until May on Sky Sports.
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