Jonny Clayton overcame a painful bout of gout to thrash Luke Humphries 6-1 in the Premier League night six final, claiming his second victory of the season and extending his lead at the top of the table.
The Welshman struggled to walk in Nottingham, but his scoring remained exceptional. Clayton averaged over 99 and hit 67% of his doubles, becoming the first player to win two league nights this season after five different winners in the opening five weeks.
Earlier, he had beaten Michael van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting 6-3, averaging just above 95. Humphries had defeated Luke Littler 6-5 in a thrilling semi-final but faltered in the final, waiting for his first league win of 2026.
Clayton admitted he had low expectations due to his gout. “I wasn’t expecting much because of my ankle, but my arm was okay, and that’s what counts,” he said. Despite his worsening limp, his practice sessions backstage appeared to sharpen his performance.
“I kept practising because it gets worse when I sit down. I thought, ‘I’m going to have to practise’ – the most I’ve ever done,” Clayton added.
The 2021 Premier League champion has been the most consistent performer so far, winning 11 matches, five more than any rival, and leading in 180s hit. With victories in Glasgow, Cardiff, and now Nottingham, he sits eight points clear at the top.
Humphries, the defending champion, finally beat Littler for the first time since May’s 2025 Premier League final, averaging 105.71 with two ton-plus finishes and four 180s. However, his low 12.5% checkout rate in the final allowed Clayton to dominate.
Littler followed up his UK Open win in Cardiff with another strong performance but fell short against Humphries. Josh Rock, the Northern Ireland debutant, lost 6-1 to Stephen Bunting and remains winless after six weeks.
