Welshman Jonny Clayton has returned to the Darts Premier League and ended Gerwyn Price’s winning streak in Berlin. “The Ferret” prevailed on Thursday evening first against Price (6:4) and then in the final against England’s world champion Michael Smith (6:4). “It wasn’t an easy ride. It’s a great feeling to win again on this stage,” said Clayton after a strong evening. The atmosphere was “absolutely fantastic”, reported the day’s winner.
Most recently, the former rugby pro Price had won two Premier League nights in a row and the European Tour tournament in Leverkusen. World champion Smith almost managed the perfect game, the so-called nine-darter, in Berlin. In the semifinals, he was only a millimeter short of double 12.
The former world champions Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands) and Peter Wright (Scotland) suffered bitter defeats. While van Gerwen leads the table after beating Clayton 5:6, “Snakebite” Wright (3:6 against Price) is almost hopelessly behind. With just two points, he is far behind in last place. “I still think I can make the playoffs,” said the bird of paradise. So far, Wright has lost nine out of ten Premier League games.
Around 10,000 spectators celebrated a darts party in the arena at Ostbahnhof. “It’s absolutely wonderful. It feels like home, unbelievable,” said Martin Schindler as the second-best German professional. Schindler was a guest on stage after the quarterfinals. Born in Strausberg, he did not want to formulate clear goals for 2023. “If you put too much pressure on yourself, you can hardly cope with it. If you publicly announce goals and don’t achieve them, you will be punished.”
