Gary Anderson and Jonny Clayton emerge as barometers of consistency as Gerwyn Price draws level with Phil Taylor statistic at World Grand Prix
PDCWednesday, 30 September 2026 at 14:00
Gary Anderson and Jonny Clayton are the model of consistency at the major PDC ranking events right now: since the most recent World Darts Championship, both have reached at least the last 16 at every ranking major. With their opening wins at the World Grand Prix, they extended that run to five tournaments. Gerwyn Price also achieved a milestone: his seventh straight first-round win puts him level with Phil Taylor and Dave Chisnall at the World Grand Prix.
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The first round in Leicester wrapped up on Tuesday evening. While the likes of Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen exited early, other top players continued their notable streaks.
Anderson and Clayton error-free at majors since the World Darts Championship
Five ranking majors in a row, five times at least the last 16: Gary Anderson and Jonny Clayton currently share that lead. Including the latest World Darts Championship, both have cleared the hurdles at every event to reach the round of 16.
The run covers the World Darts Championship, the UK Open, the World Matchplay, the World Masters, and the ongoing World Grand Prix. Anderson and Clayton have delivered across different formats. Whether legs or sets, both have always found a way into the last 16 so far.
They had to work to keep it going at the World Grand Prix. Clayton edged Krzysztof Ratajski 2:1 on Monday. Anderson followed on Tuesday with a tight 2:1 over Damon Heta, surviving a match dart.
Both have also impressed at the non-ranking majors. Gary Anderson reached the World Cup of Darts semi-finals alongside Cameron Menzies. Jonny Clayton made the quarter-finals there and reached the semi-finals at both the World Series of Darts Finals and the Premier League. Anderson did not take part in the latter two events.
Jonny Clayton last lost before the last 16 at a major in November 2025.
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Price, Wade and Bunting close behind
A high-profile trio sits just behind Anderson and Clayton. Gerwyn Price, James Wade and Stephen Bunting have each reached at least the last 16 at their last four ranking majors. They also kept their runs intact with opening wins at the World Grand Prix. All three were last outside the last 16 at a ranking major at the 2026 World Championship.
Ryan Searle follows with three consecutive last-16 showings. Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith, Wessel Nijman and Gian van Veen are currently on two in a row. For the other six World Grand Prix last-16 players, the streak starts with this event.
Price draws level with Taylor and Chisnall at the World Grand Prix
Gerwyn Price’s opening win over Sebastian Bialecki carried extra weight. The Welshman won 2:0 to clear the first round at the World Grand Prix for the seventh time in a row. Ross Smith awaits in the last 16.
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He thus ties the benchmark set by Phil Taylor and Dave Chisnall. Both also won seven consecutive first-round matches at this tournament. Price joins an exclusive trio.
Price speaks after his opener.
His streak is still alive. At his next appearance, another opening win would give the former world champion the record outright. Even now, the numbers underline how reliably Price handles the World Grand Prix’s unique demands.
How quickly even the biggest names can fall was clear in this year’s first round. Luke Littler lost 1:2 to Luke Woodhouse. Michael van Gerwen went down 1:2 to Ryan Joyce.
Van Barneveld and Lewis also on notable runs
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Behind Taylor, Chisnall and Price come Dennis Smith, Kevin Painter and Raymond van Barneveld. All three posted six consecutive first-round wins at the World Grand Prix.
John Part, Terry Jenkins, Wes Newton and Michael van Gerwen each strung together five in a row. Adrian Lewis also reached that mark. The two-time world champion even put together such a five-win streak twice.
Read also
With his latest success, Price has secured his place at the top of this historical list. Anderson and Clayton, meanwhile, lead the current consistency chart across multiple ranking majors. All three now aim to turn those reliable starts into deep runs at the World Grand Prix.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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.
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- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
- Oh dear,he lost. Well any competitive sport runs the risk of defeat. He is, currently,his own worst enemy. Wind the crowd up,and you get it back bigger. Put your dummy in kidrick6721-09-2026
- Does an exhibition count in the clean sweep though?BandB21-09-2026
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