Luke Littler Beats Jonny Clayton 6-1 in Liverpool Despite Hostile Crowd
World champion secures fourth weekly win to close gap on Premier League Darts leader
Quick Look
- Luke Littler secured his fourth weekly win of the Premier League Darts season with a 6-1 victory over Jonny Clayton in Liverpool.
- The 19-year-old world champion overcame a hostile reception from the Merseyside crowd to move within three points of league leader Clayton with four nights remaining before the finals at London's O2 Arena on 28 May.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Luke Littler is the reigning world champion and has finished top of the Premier League Darts table in the previous two years. He is currently second in the standings, three points behind leader Jonny Clayton, with four league-phase nights remaining before the finals.
Luke Littler overcame a chorus of boos in Liverpool to strengthen his grip on a Premier League play-off place with an impressive 6-1 win over Jonny Clayton. Manchester United fan Littler, 19, was booed throughout the night on Merseyside, but he kept his cool to claim his fourth nightly win in week 12. The world champion saw off Luke Humphries 6-2 in the quarter-finals, but was pushed to the limit by Michael van Gerwen in the last four. With the top four in the Premier League table going through to the finals night, Clayton leads the way overall, three points clear of second-placed Littler, who is 15 ahead of Gian van Veen in fifth. Clayton and Littler are clear of the rest with four league-phase nights to go before finals night at London's O2 Arena on 28 May. When comparing his reception in Rotterdam last Thursday to the one he got in Liverpool, Littler said: "Rotterdam was way louder than this tonight. There was a little bit [of booing] but this week was nothing compared to last week. I've just got to forget about it. I was definitely focused and wanted to win tonight, and that's what I've done." Littler has finished top of the table in the previous two years and is determined to do so again, saying: "I'm very close to Jonny now and I'm going to go chasing. I want to finish top once again and if it's not to be then it's not to be, but there are still four weeks left to play for." Littler, who was booed in Rotterdam last week following his exchange with Dutch number one Gian van Veen in Manchester three weeks ago, showed his resilience to secure another five points. He quickly raced into a 4-0 lead over Clayton in the final after capitalising on missed doubles from the 2021 Premier League champion. With Clayton only able to land one out of his six double attempts, Littler did not need to produce anything spectacular to claim the nightly win. An average just shy of 100 and a brilliant 67% finish rate were enough for the world champion to claim victory in Liverpool.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Luke Littler will continue to chase Jonny Clayton for the league leader position
Very likely · Within weeks
The hostility towards Littler may continue in future away matches
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Why was Littler booed in Liverpool and Rotterdam?
- What was the specific exchange with Gian van Veen in Manchester that triggered the hostility?
