jonny clayton

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Go Jonny goes all the way to Premier League glory

By Phil Lanning

JONNY CLAYTON landed a Premier League £250,000 jackpot – just a year after delivering food parcels for families in need during lockdown.

The part-timer beat Jose de Sousa 11-5 to win the title on his debut at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes last night.

Clayton, 46, is a plasterer for Carmarthenshire Council but had to down tools to help the vulnerable who were isolating during the pandemic.

Nicknamed ‘The Ferret’ he dumped favourite Michael van Gerwen in the semis and admitted: “I’m still back in work on Monday but seriously this is massive. The people who believe in me, the fans here today, my family. It’s absolutely amazing.

“I love the game, I’m a lazy practicer but at the end of the day when I come up on this stage I try my very best.

“This means the world to me, Wales are on the map. I have many thank yous but most of all the NHS who all risked their health to save ours.

“The last 12 months have been kind to me. Now I’ve got to look at the future and concentrate on getting better.

“There’s been a lot of people who have not been able to leave their houses for over a year. At the council we were just a help, just doing my job.

“To see the smiles on people’s faces when delivering food parcels, that touched a spot. It’s hard to look at some people and think my life is great. But some people’s lives are not as good. I’m just one of the lucky ones and that’s the way I look at life. 

“I don’t think I’m anyone special, it’s just my job and what I do. I have a job at the council and a job playing darts. I’m just Jonny.”

De Sousa added: “I work so hard to come this near, it’s difficult to play always under pressure. That’s the way it is.”

Clayton, with the sell-out noisy 1,000 crowd behind him, started the final in stronger fashion. He nailed a 121 finish to start a run of three successive leg wins to take early control at 3-1.

The Welshman just looked slightly sharper and more focused throughout and broke De Sousa’s throw to increase his lead at 6-3 to tighten his grip on the final.

Straight after the break Clayton delivered a hammer blow with 98 kill once again to break the Portuguese throw and lead 7-4.

Clayton then hit an ice cool double 10 to go 9-5 in front and wrapped it up in a flourish.

Images by Lawrence Lustig.

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Clayton admits he needs to insure valuable hands

By Phil Lanning

EXCLUSIVE

JONNY CLAYTON has vowed to get his hands insured because he enjoys his plastering job too much.

The Pontyberem star, who still works for Carmarthenshire County Council, stormed to the top of the Unibet Premier League with seven points on his debut campaign.

But Clayton, 46, confesses he needs to protect his assets for throwing darts which have helped rake in over £250k in two years – and winning the Premier League on May 28 finals night would double that income.

He revealed: “I’ve not got my hands insured yet but I need to sort that out. I just don’t think about things like that. It’s normality. I get up in the morning and I go to work. But I will get the insurance done because it’s in my head to!

“When I go to work now, I’ve got to be honest, the first thing my colleagues say to me is ‘what are you doing here?’

“The second thing they say is it’s your round on getting in the coffees!

“I am what I am, I’m no different to anyone else. I have played darts as a hobby from the word go.

“Do I want to finish work? I’d love to finish work. The reality is that I enjoy it too much. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, that’s true.”

Clayton hit a nine-darter and stormed to the top of the table but still fears a second Covid test the most after a positive result last time saw his Welsh buddy Gerwyn Price ruled out.

He added: “The Covid test again is a worry, it’s the same for all of us. Personally, this tournament needs Gerwyn Price. He’s proven himself as the World Champion and World No.1.

“There’s not many players who can say they’ve taken the World No.1 spot off Michael van Gerwen. He needs to be here.

“But with this Covid, nobody is guaranteed. It’s a horrible thing especially for Gezzy. How do you get around this?

“My kids are back in school, could they bring something back from school? Life has got to go on as well. I’m obviously going to be worried about it. But it’s going to be what it’s going to be.”

The Ferret, having beaten Gary Anderson to go top, now faces Dimitri Van den Bergh on Monday night. He added: “I’m chuffed to bits to be honest. I’d just tried my very best to play my best darts but it’s gone really well for myself.

“I didn’t feel as good last night as I did tonight but Rob (Cross) smashed me so at the end of the day, it is what it is. I’m a happy man to beat one of my favourite players in Gary.

“It’s a dream. On Monday night against Peter (Wright), I think I should have had two points there so it could have been a bit better but whatever it is, I’ve got seven points and it’s massive.”

Images by Taylor Lanning.