PDC Form Guide Update: Jonny Clayton excels in a standout statistic as Beau Greaves joins the world’s elite
PDC
Who are the world’s best darts players right now when only recent performances are taken into account? Ahead of the Dutch Darts Championship, PDC statistician Christopher Kempf examined the form of the top players. He assessed their last 200 legs. The figures show that Luke Littler no longer leads in every category, while Jonny Clayton and Beau Greaves stand out in the comparison.
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Kempf’s analysis looks beyond players’ averages to examine their scoring power, checkout percentages and number of big finishes. The results paint an interesting picture: the players with the highest averages do not automatically win their matches most efficiently.
Clayton shines on the doubles
Clayton claimed the title at the Swiss Darts Trophy in Basel last weekend. The Welshman beat Luke Humphries 8-4 in the final, underlining his excellent form.
Notably, Clayton does not top any of the key statistics for scoring or legs won. Yet he remains one of the tour’s most effective players.
Jonny Clayton claimed the title at the Swiss Darts Trophy
That is largely down to his impressive finishing on the doubles. Across his last 200 legs, ‘The Ferret’ recorded a checkout percentage of 43 per cent. That puts him ahead of both Humphries and Littler, and among the top ten Tour Card holders in this category.
His figures on big finishes are even more impressive. Clayton took out a finish of 99 or at least 101 in 21 of his last 200 legs. No other player on the PDC circuit can match that tally right now.
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His average of 96.09 ranks sixteenth among the highest averages. A player averaging around 96 would normally be expected to win about 55 per cent of their legs against ProTour opposition.
Clayton performs even better than that. His so-called OChE rating, which measures a player’s expected performance in legs won, is above 57. That puts him seventh in the PDC rankings.
The Welshman, who recently celebrated his 52nd birthday, shows that a high average is not the only measure of success. His ability to strike at decisive moments makes him particularly difficult to beat.
| Rank | Name | Average | 171–180 scores | Three-dart finishes | Checkout percentage |
| 1 | Gerwyn Price | 100.32 | 66 | 13 | 42.25% |
| 2 | Luke Humphries | 100.12 | 67 | 10 | 42.01% |
| 3 | James Wade | 98.20 | 54 | 11 | 44.88% |
| 4 | Luke Littler | 98.13 | 89 | 11 | 38.17% |
| 5 | Luke Woodhouse | 97.68 | 73 | 14 | 41.29% |
| 6 | Nathan Aspinall | 97.49 | 72 | 13 | 40.68% |
| 7 | Rob Cross | 96.89 | 65 | 6 | 36.92% |
| 8 | Gary Anderson | 96.68 | 69 | 6 | 38.30% |
| 9 | Wessel Nijman | 96.61 | 70 | 9 | 41.68% |
| 10 | Ross Smith | 96.44 | 64 | 16 | 44.73% |
Littler remains the PDC’s leading 180 hitter
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Although Luke Littler has had a few disappointing results recently, the reigning world champion remains among the very best in the world when it comes to scoring. In fact, no player produced more maximums across their last 200 legs than ‘The Nuke’. The Englishman hit 180 a remarkable 89 times in that period.
That tally is below the level Littler reached after the World Matchplay, but it is still enough to top the rankings for most 180s. His doubles tell a less convincing story. Littler ranks only 36th in the PDC in that category.
That creates a clear contrast with James Wade. ‘The Machine’ produces considerably fewer maximums, but makes up for it with his accuracy on the outer ring.
Wade hit 45 per cent of his doubles across his last 200 legs. That puts him ahead of both Littler and Clayton in this category.
Gerwyn Price tops the averages
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The analysis also makes a case for Gerwyn Price as the best-performing player right now. The former world champion currently leads the PDC for three-dart average. He also outperforms Luke Humphries in almost every statistical category.
Humphries holds only a narrow lead in one category: the number of 180s thrown, with the Englishman hitting one more than Price.
However, their head-to-head results show that statistical superiority does not automatically lead to victories. The pair recently met in the World Grand Prix final, where Humphries came from behind to win.
According to Kempf, four players can currently lay claim to the top spot in the form rankings based on their recent performances. Littler, Humphries, Price and Wade each stand out in different areas. However, no player is currently dominating across the board to the extent once expected of Littler.
Beau Greaves impresses against the men
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One of the most striking names in the statistical analysis is Greaves. The Englishwoman has dominated the Women's Series for some time, but her recent figures are also impressive when compared with those of male PDC players. Across her last 200 legs, Greaves averaged 96.35, slightly ahead of Clayton's 96.09.
Greaves also hit 65 maximum 180s during that period. Her numbers are reflected in a particularly strong leg-winning rate. Based on her current level, an average PDC ProTour opponent would be expected to win just 44 per cent of the legs against her.
That means Greaves would statistically win around 56 per cent of the legs against an average ProTour player. Her current performances therefore rank above the recent form of players including Gian van Veen and Stephen Bunting.
Beau Greaves is enjoying an excellent debut year as a PDC Tour Card holder
Greaves can compete with the big names
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Greaves's performances do not automatically make her a favourite in matches against players such as Littler and Humphries. The balance of power is different at the very top.
Her statistics do show, however, that she has reached a level where she can compete with a large part of the professional circuit. Her numbers are comparable to those of Ross Smith, winner of the World Series of Darts Finals, and Clayton, who claimed the Swiss Darts Trophy last weekend.
With the 2027 World Darts Championship on the horizon, this is an intriguing development. Greaves has firmly put herself in the spotlight with her performances on the Women's Series, and her recent form shows she can also compete against strong opponents.
FORM GUIDE 📈 PDC Stats Analyst @ochepedia assesses the sport's top ten stars - based on their last 200 legs played - ahead of the 2026 Dutch Darts Championship 👀 📝 https://t.co/Oq99f7gBtJ https://t.co/H1DeJiYz5G
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 14, 2026
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Kempf's analysis makes clear that the leading players are currently very closely matched. Littler continues to excel in hitting maximums, Wade is especially accurate on the doubles, Price has the highest average, and Clayton stands out for his high finishes.
Those differences make it difficult to name one player as the clear form leader. With the Dutch Darts Championship and the remaining major televised tournaments of 2026 coming up, the leading players will have the chance in the coming weeks to turn their recent numbers into more titles.
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- 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