Premier League Darts 2026 Roundup | Jonny Clayton punishes Van Gerwen’s missed match darts to win Brighton thriller as Littler and Price fall early

Jonny Clayton claimed his third nightly win of the 2026 Premier League Darts with a dramatic 6-5 victory over Michael van Gerwen in the Night 10 final at the Brighton Centre, returning to the top of the league table in the process.

Clayton punished a series of missed match darts from Van Gerwen before producing a superb 84 checkout on the bull to force a deciding leg, and from there took full control with back-to-back maximums before sealing the win on D16. It capped a chaotic evening in Brighton, where league leader Luke Littler and last week’s winner Gerwyn Price were both eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Jonny Clayton booked his place in the Night 10 final with two composed displays, first edging past Luke Humphries 6-5 in a dramatic opener. Humphries missed a dart at double to seal victory, and Clayton punished ruthlessly, taking out an 84 finish on the bull to snatch the win.

The Welshman carried that momentum into the semi-finals against Josh Rock, building an early advantage before holding firm to close out a 6-4 victory. Rock threatened late and even stayed alive with a last-dart finish, but Clayton remained in control throughout to secure another nightly final appearance.

For Michael van Gerwen, the route was far less straightforward. The Dutchman opened his campaign with a 6-4 win over Gian van Veen in a match defined by missed chances on both sides. Van Gerwen raced into a 3-0 lead, only for Van Veen to respond, but crucially the Dutchman punished repeated misses at double to regain control and close out the contest.

He was then pushed all the way by Stephen Bunting in the semi-finals. Bunting missed multiple chances to take control of the match, including key darts at D10 and D8, and those misses proved costly as Van Gerwen edged a tense decider 6-5 to reach the final.

The final itself looked to be slipping away from Clayton as Van Gerwen surged into control. After Clayton opened with a brilliant 140 checkout, Van Gerwen responded immediately and then broke throw with a clinical 80 finish to move ahead. The Dutchman found his rhythm from there, stretching his lead to 5-2 with a 12-dart break and pushing his average beyond the 100 mark.

At that point, the match appeared all but over. But missed opportunities proved decisive.

Van Gerwen spurned multiple match darts across the closing stages, missing chances on D16, D18 and D14 that would have sealed victory. Clayton capitalised, first staying alive with a last dart finish before taking full advantage of further misses.

The turning point came at 5-4, when Van Gerwen again failed to close out the match. Clayton punished with a superb 84 checkout on the bull to force a deciding leg and shift the momentum completely.

With the darts in hand, the Welshman took full control of the decider, firing in back-to-back maximums to leave a simple finish, which he duly converted on D16 to seal a remarkable comeback victory.

Night 10 in Brighton delivered one of the most unpredictable evenings of the 2026 Premier League Darts so far, with both of the league’s top two suffering early exits.

League leader Luke Littler endured a below-par display as he was beaten 6-4 by Stephen Bunting. The match was defined by missed chances from Bunting early on, with the Bullet squandering opportunities to race into a commanding lead before eventually doing enough to see off the world champion.

There was also a shock for Gerwyn Price, who was defeated 6-3 by Josh Rock. Rock produced a clinical display, including a standout 164 checkout on the bull, and punished a series of missed opportunities from Price to claim a third consecutive quarter-final win.

Elsewhere, Van Gerwen’s victory over Van Veen ensured he held off a direct rival in the race for the play-offs, while Clayton’s run to the nightly title sees him return to the summit of the standings heading into the next phase of the competition.

For Humphries, meanwhile, the pressure continues to build. The defending champion was left to rue missed chances in his opening match against Clayton, and another early exit leaves him with significant ground to make up as the league phase enters its decisive stretch.