Luke Littler's clean sweep goes up in smoke after abject Jonny Clayton loss at World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, semi-finals confirmed
PDC
The final session is set at the World Series of Darts Finals, as Ross Smith will face Gian van Veen, while Gerwyn Price will face Jonny Clayton who dumped out Luke Littler in a blockbuster tie with the final to be set in Amsterdam this evening.
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Price saw off James Wade 10-7 in one of the landmark ties of the session. 'The Iceman' and Wade were very much nip and tuck throughout the early going with Wade in fact striking the first blow going 3-2 up with a 61 checkout. But he couldn't consolidate and Price hit a 170 checkout for 3-3. He went 4-3 up on double 20.
Wade made it 4-4 with a 74 checkout. But Price broke again hitting 136 for 6-4. Wade hit straight back again with a 74 checkout and even went 7-6 up with a 116 after Price missed droves of darts for the lead. But he broke ironically next leg on double five before holding throw for 8-7.
He broke again at an opportune moment with double 20 before holding with an 87 to seal the win 10-7.
Luke Littler's clean sweep hopes are over. Jonny Clayton has proven to be the spoiler this weekend and whether Littler heads to Den Bosch next weekend is very unlikely.
Littler goes home without a clean sweep.
Littler led early on against Clayton going 2-1 up and with an 81 checkout. But Clayton was always there or thereabouts on his coattails and he held with a magnificent 136 checkout before breaking with a 92 checkout for 4-3. Clayton missed 130, but he then returned for 25 to go 5-3 up.
Clayton continued to surge forward with a 62 checkout and then broke with a very Ferret move in the form of his trademark 121 checkout. Double 20 was pinned for Clayton to hold on from there and Littler despite a leg of the duo not being able to hit a double for love nor money didn't seal another one as Clayton from 5-4 up won every single leg and dumped out Littler on double 20. Now he faces the all Welsh test and Littler no doubt goes home over going to Den Bosch.
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Smith faces Van Veen in opposite section
In the other semi-final, it will see Ross Smith face Gian van Veen. Smith saw off Josh Rock to start the afternoon off.
Smith averaged 97 to win 10-7 with five 180's to eight from Rock who averaged 94 in defeat. Smith went 2-0 up early breaking throw for Rock to hit back on double six and begin a sequence of holds. But it was Smith who led 4-2 with an 81 checkout which proved to be the catalyst.
He broke to go two ahead of Rock and then held after missing 170 on 25 to lead 5-2. Smith's break was snatched away as Rock hit 106. But straight away Smith hit double eight for 6-4 and then double 20 for 7-4.
Rock couldn't find the break back but Smith could find another as he hit 108 and despite Rock taking that away on double 13 albeit after Smith had missed 75, Smith sealed the deal pinning double eight to claim the win 10-7 and move through. He has been the most in-form man on the European Tour as of late winning two titles and has brought that form to the big stage this weekend.
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Gian van Veen took down his fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode as 'GVV The Giant' as the highest ranked Dutchman in his country anyway anchors the hopes going into the final session.
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | VS | Gian van Veen |
|---|---|---|
| 94.15 | Average (3 Darts) | 95.04 |
| 19 | 100+ Thrown | 19 |
| 11 | 140+ Thrown | 13 |
| 8 | 180 Thrown | 6 |
| 83 | Highest Checkout | 124 |
| 0 | Checkout 100+ | 1 |
| 40 | Checkout percentage | 45.45 |
| 7 / 17 | Checkout | 9 / 16 |
Van Duijvenbode was down early with Van Veen breaking on doubl 16 for 3-2 before then holding for 56. He hit 91 for a superb hold. But back came Van Duijvenbode who broke for 5-5 and then led suddenly 8-6 and looked to be on course for victory.
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But his resolve fell as Van Veen won every leg from there. With the finishing line in sight, Van Veen broke for 8-7 and then broke again on 59 for 9-8 before holding with a 124 checkout to seal a heroic comeback.
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Milly ThomsonLive Darts Blogger
Milly Thomson is an aspiring journalist with a deep-rooted passion for a wide range of sports, including football, darts, and cricket. She recently completed her university studies, earning a BA (Hons) in Football Business and Media—a degree that has given her a solid foundation in both the commercial and communications aspects of the sporting world.
Milly combines her academic background with her genuine enthusiasm for sports to produce engaging and insightful coverage across multiple disciplines. Her writing reflects a strong understanding of the games she follows, as well as a keen interest in the stories behind the athletes and events.
As she continues to grow in the field of journalism, Milly is committed to using her voice to inform, entertain, and connect with fellow sports fans. With a clear focus on developing her skills and expanding her portfolio, she is excited to contribute meaningful content to the wider sporting community.
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- 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
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026