Jonny Clayton was once dubbed the Ferret who never stops fighting yet the opening half of the two thousand twenty five Premier League has tested even his resilience. A solitary quarter final win from the first ten nights has left the Welsh veteran languishing in seventh place on twelve points and pundits fear his play off hopes are already on life support. That is why Thursday’s return to Belfast feels like a crossroads. The SSE Arena crowd witnessed Clayton lift the Premier League trophy in twenty t…
Clayton’s recent form gives cause for optimism. He captured Players Championship fourteen in Rosmalen on April fifteen beating Dominik Gruellich eight two and posting a one hundred and four average in the final. The triumph snapped a ten month ranking title drought and restored the smooth first dart rhythm that underpinned his breakout season in twenty twenty one.citeturn5search1
On Night One in Belfast three months ago Clayton squandered match darts against Chris Dobey and watched Luke Humphries storm to the title. The Welshman insists the memories of that collapse have fuelled weeks of quiet practice. “I left here angry,” he admitted. “I know what this arena can do when it roars for you and I plan to give them reason.”citeturn3search0
Clayton opens against Nathan Aspinall with the winner likely to face table leader Littler in the semi finals. Four regular nights will remain after Belfast and history shows sixteen points is normally the cut line for the top four. That means Clayton probably needs at least three deep runs from here. Redemption stories are rarely easy in sport, but if the Ferret channels the fire that powered his recent ranking win, Belfast could mark the start of an improbable charge.
