Clayton, the defending champion was in clinical form as he saw off Joe Cullen 6-2 with a 103 average sending out a message to the rest of the field early on.
He had the crowd behind him and settled down straight away with back-to-back 180’s before hitting double four after Cullen wired a 170 en route to a race to six.
Cullen hit his first 180 of the match but missed multiple darts to draw level as nerves got the better of him and Clayton went 2-0 up. He hit an 81 checkout to go 3-0 up from there.
A 180 began Cullen’s throw for Clayton but he spurned a chance at 136 for a 4-0 lead. This allowed Cullen to get off the mark.
He added another leg with a 102 checkout to make it 4-2 with a hold of throw. A 50 checkout saw Cullen go to the brink though as Clayton was 5-2 up.
Cullen missed three darts to hold throw and Clayton took aim at 94 for the win, he missed two at double 20 for the match but one, double one wasn’t on the side of Cullen and ‘The Ferret’ returned for double 10 to move through.
While Wade silenced the crowd on hand in Cardiff as he took out Gerwyn Price who was out of sorts in a 6-3 defeat to 'The Machine'.
Wade does as he does best hitting three ton plus checkouts and it means a barren return to the tournament for Price who had to miss last year due to COVID-19.
Price had trouble closing out the first leg and Wade picked his pocket and lifted his hands aloft in an ironic celebration as he broke throw.
Wade held from there missing a 118 checkout but Price couldn’t get a dart at 74 so ‘The Machine’ returned for a 2-0 lead.
Price got his first leg on the board with a 57 checkout as Wade threw for a 3-1 lead. A 100 checkout using two double 20’s saw Wade produce.
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Wade went 4-2 up from there as he hit double 10 to go two away from a tie with Clayton. Price missed 116 for a hold of throw but Wade missed 107 on double 18 for a break allowing ‘The Iceman’ back to make it 4-3.
Wade didn’t allow Price a shot at 170 and went one away with a 124 checkout. Price missed three to hold on double five and Wade took it with a 104 checkout.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
𝗪𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘! ⚙️
James Wade takes out three ton-plus finishes in defeating an out-of-sorts world number one Gerwyn Price 6-3!
'The Machine' will face off against Jonny Clayton in the semi-finals...
📺 Up next 👉 Peter Wright v Michael Smith