Jonny Clayton has moved to the top of the Premier League darts table after winning the Brighton night, defeating Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in the final. The Welshman now leads the standings, pushing defending champion Luke Littler into second place.
Following his victory, Clayton issued a blunt warning to the teenage sensation. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: 'I'm back on top of the table, Luke Littler can start chasing me again. It feels great to be honest.'
Clayton, who has previous experience of leading the table, added: 'I know what it's like to be here, I've got the experience, I know what you need to get to finals night. Take your chances, play decent, you've got a good chance.' Despite his strong position, he insisted he is not looking too far ahead, noting: 'You just want to be in that top four.'
Littler endured a difficult evening in Brighton, being booed by the crowd and recording the lowest televised average of his career (83.94) in a defeat to Stephen Bunting. Bunting commented: 'It's tough because the crowd was giving him some stick. I like Luke because he's a fantastic lad and I don't like to see that.'
Clayton also confirmed that Littler and Gian van Veen practised in separate rooms following their disagreement in Manchester. He explained: 'Yeah, they're always in separate practice rooms really. If there's two rooms then myself, Mike [Van Gerwen], and Luke [Humphries] are in one and Gian comes into that.' The Premier League continues in Rotterdam midweek, with six nights remaining before the finals at the O2 Arena in May.
