Littler spoils Welsh party with Premier League win
· Yahoo Sports
Luke Littler beat Premier League leader Jonny Clayton 6-4 in a top quality final at Utilita Arena in Cardiff.
Littler broke Clayton in the opening leg of the final, but 'The Ferret' hit straight back with a break of his own after 'The Nuke' failed to checkout 68 with three darts in hand.
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A bullseye finish from Clayton gave the home crowd in Cardiff more to celebrate, as the 51-year-old took a first lead of the final.
But Littler showed why he is the back-to-back world champion, hitting the 'Big Fish' checkout of 170 - just as he had done to clinch victory in the semi-final against Gerwyn Price.
Both players held throw as the final reached its halfway stage with the score level at three legs each.
Littler almost sent the crowd wild with a nine-dart finish, only to miss double 15 and see Clayton return to the oche to check out the 41 remaining in an incredible leg.
The 19-year-old levelled proceedings with a hold of throw before a second break of the game moved Littler to within a leg of victory.
And Littler sealed his first night win of the 2026 Premier League campaign in the following leg, checking out 52 with his last dart in hand to climb into the top four.
"It took me a little while to get settled in to this tournament, as it did in the first year," Littler told Sky Sports.
"I've done really well tonight and I'm proud of myself.
"The table looks good now, it wasn't looking good when I was in seventh. It just goes to show that tonight I had to focus on myself."
Another final appearance for Clayton sees him remain top of the table, as he continues to thrive on his return to the Premier League.
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Luke Humphries breezed through his opening game, beating Michael van Gerwen 6-1 for his first Premier League win in Cardiff.
Clayton was quickest out the blocks against Gian van Veen, as he took a commanding 4-1 lead.
The World Championship runner-up fought back to 5-4 down, but a botched attempt at a double-double finish handed 'The Ferret' an opportunity he took with his last dart in hand to book his place in the last four.
The home crowd's dream of an all-Welsh final made it as far as the semi-finals, as Price beat last week's winner Stephen Bunting in a deciding leg.
It was a game filled with rogue darts and missed doubles from both players, but 'The Iceman' came from 3-1 down to set up a semi-final against Littler.
Littler's average of 96.2 was well short of Josh Rock's 103.72 - but the Northern Irishman's struggles on doubles continued as his winless Premier League campaign continued with a 6-4 defeat.
Clayton recovered from two missed doubles to beat 2024 PDC World Champion Humphries in his semi-final 6-4, as the partisan Welsh crowd's dream of an all-Welsh final was half complete.
Littler started the semi-final with five consecutive treble 20s, as he stormed into a 2-0 lead with an average a fraction below 120.
'The Iceman' cut a frustrated figure at the oche, regularly puffing his cheeks after stray darts, and fell 5-3 behind after more clinical finishing from Littler.
And 'The Nuke' finished the semi-final in style, reeling in the 'Big Fish' checkout of 170 to inflict a first defeat of the night on a Welsh player.
Littler repeated his 'Big Fish' antics in the final, as he spoiled the home celebrations in the Welsh capital to mark his first success of the Premier League season.
Jonny Clayton beat Gian van Veen in the final of night three in Glasgow [Getty Images]Premier League Darts night five results
Quarter-finals
Michael van Gerwen 1-6 Luke Humphries
Gian van Veen 4-6 Jonny Clayton
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Luke Littler 6-4 Josh Rock
Semi-finals
Humphries 4-6 Clayton
Price 3-6 Littler
Final
Clayton 4-6 Littler
Premier League Darts table 2026
Premier League Darts format and points system
Premier League Darts is played across 16 initial weeks in the league stage with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final each night.
Each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven in the quarter-finals in weeks one to seven and 9-15, with week eight and week 16 fixtures done off the table. It means we will get fourth v fifth in Sheffield on the final league-stage night, with the play-off spots potentially on the line.
Players earn two points per quarter-final win, an additional point if they win their semi-final and five for winning the night.
The top four players after the group stage progress to the play-off night at London's O2 Arena on 23 May, with first facing fourth and second against third in a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.
If players are level on points after the 16 weeks then places are decided by nights won and then matches won.
Premier League Darts night six order of play
Thursday, 12 March - Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Quarter-finals
Josh Rock v Stephen Bunting
Jonny Clayton v Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries v Gian van Veen
Gerwyn Price v Luke Littler