"In my opinion, I prefer it" – World Darts Championship comes a surprising second for Jonny Clayton
PDC
Jonny Clayton is back. Not that he was ever truly gone, but on the eve of the Winmau World Masters 2026 the Welshman exudes renewed confidence. During media day, “The Ferret” looks ahead to the new darts year with a relaxed yet sharp focus, a season in which he is once again part of the Premier League lineup and hopes to build on a strong, yet inconsistent 2025.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I feel good. My darts are good, so the consistency is getting back to where it should be,” Clayton says to talkSPORT. “My darts are going pretty well, so yeah, I’m looking forward to this.”
Fond memories of the World Masters
The Winmau World Masters holds special meaning for Clayton. Last year he reached the final, where he ultimately had to bow to Luke Humphries. Still, he looks back on that tournament with great pleasure.
“It was a great tournament for me last year in 2025,” he says. “Okay, I lost to Luke in the final, but the only thing I could have done better was win the trophy. Last year was brilliant and hopefully I can do the same this year — maybe go one better. I love it.”
The World Masters format, with short matches in a best-of-three legs and best-of-five sets setup, appeals to Clayton.
“It’s a challenge for us all. It’s a different kind of challenge — best of three legs, best of five sets,” he explains. “It’s difficult, but you can lose a set and win one straight back, so it’s good for us all.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Clayton is known as a player who thrives in set play, and he feels this format gives players a chance to recover.
“If it’s legs and somebody goes four-nil up, first to six, you’re in trouble,” he says. “But with sets, you do get a chance to get back into it.”
It’s no surprise he rewatched last year’s final. Clayton is selective about what he analyses.
“Yeah, I have watched it back, because I think it was a good game,” he says. “If I don’t think I’ve played well, I won’t watch it back. But it was an exciting game, a good little game, so yeah, I watched it back.”
According to him, the key moment came on the doubles.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I went for double top just to stay in it — I think I went inside,” he recalls. “But never mind, that’s the way darts goes. You try your best, and if it’s not good enough on the day, you try again. I’ll be trying again this year.”
A Worlds with twists and turns
The recent World Championship also came up. Clayton fell in the quarter-finals after a defeat to Ryan Searle, with his campaign disrupted by an unusually long break following Dom Taylor’s disqualification.
“Yes, definitely,” Clayton says. “Especially in previous years, I usually play on the 23rd, the last day before Christmas, and then I’m back on again. So I’m used to being in the tournament.”
“It was my first time experiencing such a long break, and obviously with what happened with Dom, it was extra time off. It was different, but at the end of the day, once you put your foot on that stage, you have a job to do, and that’s what you’ve got to concentrate on.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He does not shy away from where it went wrong. “Against Ryan, to be fair to him, he didn’t miss doubles,” Clayton admits. “I think I had ten from forty on the doubles, and that’s definitely not good enough in a World Championship quarter-final.”
“I let myself down. I was starting to get back into the game scoring-wise, but I couldn’t finish. I was putting myself under pressure all the time and Ryan did his job. To be fair, he’s a fantastic player.”
The depth of the modern game
Clayton was tested earlier in the tournament too, with tough matches against Niels Zonneveld and Andreas Harrysson.
“Unbelievable,” he says. “When I played Andreas, I had to play the top of my darts because he wasn’t going to let me off. Same with Niels — I know Niels because he’s on tour, so I had a bit more knowledge of him.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“With Andreas, I didn’t know anything about him. All I saw was what he’d done in the previous two matches, and that was difficult from my point of view.”
Harrysson’s subsequent failure to secure a Tour Card surprised him.
“For him not to get a Tour Card is unbelievable,” Clayton says. “A player of that standard and capability — it just shows the talent pool is insane.”
His compatriot and good friend Gerwyn Price also came up, though darts is rarely the focus of their conversations.
“We talk, but we don’t really talk much about darts to be honest — it’s rugby, building, whatever,” Clayton laughs.
ADVERTISEMENT
Price’s defeat to Wesley Plaisier was, in his view, another reminder of darts’ unpredictability.
“If you were a betting man, you’d probably put your money on Gezzy because he’s one of the best, isn’t he?” he says. “But Wesley did his job. That’s what it is — it’s all about doing your job on the day.”
Back in the Premier League Darts
One of the highlights of Clayton’s winter was confirmation that he would once again be part of the Premier League Darts lineup.
“I was building a man cave on the side of the house,” he smiles. “I was in my wellies, running in to watch the announcement.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“About ten minutes before, my manager phoned me and said, ‘Right, good news, you’re in.’ I thought, well that’s a bit disappointing because you’ve told me before the announcement!”
The reaction was still unmistakable. “Once he said I was back in, the smile on my face was massive,” Clayton says. “I love it. I think it’s the best tournament of all. You’re playing against the eight in-form players — if not the eight best players in the world. It’s a challenge and it’s exciting.”
Clayton even admits he prefers it to the sport’s biggest title.
“In my opinion, I prefer it to the Worlds,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind winning the World Championship, don’t get me wrong, but I just love the Premier League.”
“It’s sixteen weeks of hard graft against players who are hitting 180s for fun. That’s where you want to be. If you’re part of that, you’re doing something right.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Ambition and enjoyment
Although Clayton is still chasing a world title, his enjoyment of the game shines through. The conversation ends on a lighter note, with talk turning back to the man cave.
“There’ll be no pool table — I can’t bend down far enough to look down the table!” he laughs. “No snooker either — Gezzy would beat me at that. The dartboard’s going in, and maybe a golf simulator, but that’s it.”
Read also
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026