Premier League Darts continues on Thursday on Sky Sports Action from 7pm
Monday 8 April 2019 11:12, UK
Jonny Clayton claimed a third PDC title with victory over Gabriel Clemens at Players Championship 10 in Barnsley on Sunday.
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'The Ferret' completed, beaten in the first round on Saturday, completed his weekend's work with an 8-4 win over the emerging Germany, a victory that moves the Welshman up to 13th in the Order of Merit and gives him a third successive year with a title on the PDC circuit.
Having broken his duck with a Players Championship event in 2017, Clayton added the biggest title of his career almost exactly a year ago when he beat Gerwyn Price to win the Austrian Darts Open, and on Sunday he made the most of a host of big-name early casualties.
A 103 average was enough to account for Clemens and Clayton, the Players Championship runner-up in 2017, set his sights on adding to his trophy cabinet.
"I'm enjoying playing against the best players in the world, and hopefully I can win a few more titles this year," said Clayton.
"I had a dodgy start today, I got through a tough game with Nathan Rafferty who played really well and from there I started to relax.
"I'm chuffed to have won that final because Gabriel is a very good player and it won't be long before he's in the top 32 or top 16 of the world."
Clayton had to survive a missed match dart from Nathan Rafferty to avoid a second successive first-round exit on the weekend but from there he was impressive in beating Zoran Lerchbacher beofre back-to-back 100+ averages were enough to see off Vincent van der Voort and Marko Kantele.
Clayton came through a third final leg shoot-out of the day to beat Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-final, before an impressive 7-2 win over Ian White saw him reach the final where he was too strong for Clemens and sealed the £10,000 winners cheque.
Clemens, one of Wayne Mardle's five to follow this year, can take credit from a third PDC final in under a year. The German won his Tour card in January 2018 and is up to 56th on the Order of Merit after another strong showing, his runners-up finish following up from a place in Saturday's last 32.
James Richardson, Joe Cullen, Jan Dekker and Mervyn King were all seen off on his way to the final where the 35-year-old came up just short.
On Saturday, James Wade had beaten Michael Smith to win his first floor title in almost four years, but The Machine went out in the first round, losing to Jose Justica, while the man Wade beat, Michael Smith, fell in the second round to Jose De Sousa.
They were not the only big names to falter. Raymond van Barneveld went one better than his first-round exit on Saturday but was beaten by Luke Woodhouse and returning Australian Corey Cadby suffered a first round defeat to give him just a solitary victory over the weekend on his return to the Pro Tour.
Premier League Rob Cross withdrew ill, but it was a less successful day for Peter Wright and Mensur Suljovic who joined Wade and Smith in exiting before the last 32 which is where Glen Durrant and Adrian Lewis crashed out.
The early big names to flater gave some of the tour less familiar names a chance to shine with Poland's Tytus Kanik reaching a PDC semi-final for the first time and Wade's Spanish conquerer Justicia reaching his first Players Championship quarter-final.
With no Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Daryl Gurney, Premier League table-topper Rob Cross was the big name in the field and he suffered a surprise 6-2 second round defeat to Jose De Sousa, while Peter Wright crashed out in the first round following a 6-4 defeat to Jamie Hughes.
The Premier League continues on Sky Sports Action as we head to the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on Thursday. You can also stay up to date with all the action by following us @SkySportsDarts and get all the latest news, previews and interviews www.skysports.com/darts
