Jonny Clayton secured his spot in the last sixteen at the
World Darts Championship. The former Premier League champion won 4-2 in sets over
Krzysztof Ratajski in the third round.
Ratajski had already surrendered his own throw twice in the first set after failing to finish in five visits each time. Clayton then secured the leg with a 12-darter via a fine 126 finish on the bullseye.
Clayton then trailed 0-2 in his own set, but Ratajski could not convert the lead into set win. That was mainly because the Pole missed five set darts in the fourth leg. In the fifth leg, Ratajski got another chance, but it too failed to hit. Clayton then doubled the lead with a 16-darter.
Set three was for Ratajski however. The Polish Eagle opened with a 12-darter and then took the third set 3-0. Ratajski also had chances in set four, but in two different legs, he messed up on the doubles. Clayton took advantage and then took a 3-1 lead in sets.
With a strong fifth set, Ratajski brought the deficit back to 2-3. The Polish darter won the set 3-1 after a 14-darter and a 115 finish, among other things. However, Ratajski then failed to break Clayton in the sixth set. 'The Ferret' won set six 3-1, putting a 4-2 final score on the scoreboard.
This puts Clayton in the last sixteen at the World Darts Championship for the third consecutive year. Two years ago he was left stranded in this round, whilst Clayton managed to reach the quarter-finals last year. This time, Clayton will take on Rob Cross.