"Obviously I'm gutted but I'm glad to be back challenging the top boys" - Jonny Clayton pushes Luke Humphries all the way in thrilling Winmau World Masters final

Despite a massive effort, Jonny Clayton couldn't quite take the title at the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters. 'The Ferret' went down 6-5 in a thrilling final against Luke Humphries. Thanks to his performances in Milton Keynes however, Clayton has climbed back up to sixth place in the PDC Order of Merit.

Despite a solid start, taking the opening set, Clayton quickly found himself trailing 5-2 in the final and with his back firmly against the wall. The 50-year-old Welshman showed great character though, and fought back with some brilliant darts to level up at 5-5. Sadly for Clayton though, as the last set came down to an all-deciding one leg shootout, it was Humphries who took the win. So no second Masters title for Clayton, who won this tournament in 2021, then still in the old format.

"Obviously I'm gutted not to win," admitted Clayton when speaking to the media after the final's dramatic conclusion. "I had a chance with that 120 in the last leg decider, but it didn't go for me tonight."

“I had to dig in, he was running away with everything,“ added Clayton, reflecting on his epic comeback. “This guy is a class act; he gave me a few chances which I missed, but I also took a few. I didn’t give up, I wanted to give Luke a great game and I think it was a great game. Games like that, you need a winner and one has to lose. All credit to Luke, a fantastic person and fantastic player.”

After a lesser couple of years by his own high standards, a return to a major final should nevertheless be a big boost to Clayton's confidence. "I'm glad to be back challenging the top boys, you know what I mean," he says with a smile. "I've got a smile on my face and hopefully, it's going to be a dangerous Jonny Clayton this year!"