Jonny Clayton threatens to boycott European Tour amid passport control waits: "Two hour queues no chance, no way"

Jonny Clayton has serious doubts about his future participation on the European Tour. The Welshman hints he may skip tournaments on the European mainland if the ongoing travel issues for players aren’t resolved soon.

‘The Ferret’ is part of a growing group of top players who are furious after the chaotic journey to the Belgian Darts Open. On the sporting front, however, there was little to fault in Clayton. The world number five convincingly reached the final and once again showed why he is among the most consistent players of the moment. Only in the decider did he have to concede to Luke Humphries.

Even so, the aftermath focused just as much on what happened off the oche. British darters have increasingly faced difficulties traveling to European Tour events since Brexit. Where e-gates used to suffice, players are now subject to manual passport checks — with waiting times that can stretch to several hours.

For Clayton, patience is wearing thin. "It might be a serious conversation because at the end of the day I ain’t standing in queues for nothing. Two hour queues no chance, no way. I am a miserable git anyway. Hopefully it gets better if it does, you will see a lot more of me. If it don’t you ain’t going to see me. That is life.”

Strikingly, that frustration stands in stark contrast to Clayton’s excellent form in the Premier League Darts. The Welshman is enjoying a strong season and currently sits second in the table, with two nightly titles to his name.

For a long time he even topped the standings, but that spot was recently taken by the young sensation Luke Littler, who claimed his third nightly win of the season in Berlin. Clayton himself remains notably unfazed by his rivals’ surge. “I just think about my game. I don’t really care about anybody else, to be honest with you. I just want to be there on Finals Night.

“I have to find a way of doing something to get there. That is the name of the game. I have been there before, I know what to do. I need to be there in Week 17 and that’s all I care about. I don’t care about any other player.”

There’s little time to dwell on the peripherals. The darts carousel keeps spinning and Clayton is gearing up for Night Nine of the Premier League in Manchester tomorrow evening. There he faces Josh Rock, an opponent who only picked up his very first points last week.