CLAYTON OVERCOMES GOUT-STRICKEN FOOT TO WIN NIGHT SIX
12/03/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
JONNY CLAYTON defied a gout-stricken foot about to “explode” to secure Night Six victory in the Premier League.
The Welshman continued his perfect run in the last eight, cruising to a comfortable 6–3 victory over Michael van Gerwen. He repeated the scoreline in defeating Bunting.
‘The Ferret’ sits top of the table and has extended his lead by EIGHT points after dispatching Luke Humphries 6-1 in the final.
World No. 5 Clayton became the first player this season to win two nightly competitions in the major tournament and claimed the £10,000 top prize in Nottingham.
Clayton was visibly limping throughout the night, yet he battled through the pain to deliver a strong performance.
He said: “What a great night. I wasn’t expecting much, to be honest. I suffer with gout; it is in my ankles.
“Tonight was a little bit difficult, as you can see from the way I walked, but my arm was okay by the look of it. That is all that counts.
“I was practising just to keep on it, to be honest, because every time I sat down my foot was stiffening up.
“It was getting worse. I am dreading taking my shoe off because I think my foot was just going to explode.”
Stephen Bunting missed eight match darts but still overcame a struggling Josh Rock 6-1 in the quarter-final.
Humphries was ruthless on the doubles, converting six of 12 attempts on the outer ring to beat Gian van Veen 6–4 in their opener.
The Cheshire thrower fired a brilliant 105.71 average to squeeze past Luke Littler 6–5 in the semi-final, gesturing to the crowd with his ears as whistles interrupted the contest.
Littler survived a 6–5 thriller against Gerwyn Price, delivering a superb 108.66 average.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
