Jonny Clayton Sends Out A Warning After Dominant Win At Players Championship

Jonny Clayton. Pic: Alamy

The Ferret has dug in and ground out another title as Jonny Clayton wins in the Netherlands.

Jonny Clayton turned in one of the most commanding performances of his career to claim the 14th Players Championship title of the season, delivering a darting masterclass in Rosmalen, Netherlands.

The Welshman, who turned 50 earlier this year, overwhelmed German rising star Dominik Gruellich 8-2 in the final at the Autotron, capping off a scintillating run with a sensational 109.68 average.

It marked Clayton’s seventh career Players Championship title and his first PDC ranking win of 2025, along with a £15,000 winner’s cheque.

“Today was a good day. I loved every second of it,” said a delighted Clayton, whose overall tournament average stood at an outstanding 103.59.

“Fair play to Dominik. He did brilliantly, but things went my way today, and hopefully it carries on going for the rest of the year.

“If I can find this form consistently, that would be brilliant. I’ll be dangerous then!

“I just take every tournament as it comes. When it doesn’t go well, you have to take it on the chin, but I will always keep trying.”

Clayton – “The Ferret” - was virtually unstoppable throughout the tournament, recording six ton-plus averages in his seven matches and dropping just 11 legs across the day.

His campaign kicked off with a demolition of George Killington, where his 111.16 average was the highest of the event.

He followed that up with clinical 6-2 wins over Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak and Jeffrey de Graaf before dismantling Dutch icon Michael van Gerwen 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.

Van Gerwen, competing in front of a home crowd, had already experienced a disappointing early exit during Monday’s event in the double-header and was unable to halt Clayton’s momentum.

In the last eight, Clayton whitewashed former major winner James Wade 6-0, then clawed back from 3-1 down to take six straight legs against Danny Noppert for a 7-3 semi-final triumph.

Facing Gruellich in the final, Clayton turned on the style with two 11-dart legs and a pair of 121 checkouts to seal the title in emphatic fashion.

While Clayton was in cruise control, 23-year-old Gruellich made headlines of his own by reaching his first senior PDC final.
Having only secured his Tour Card in January, the German caused a stir by knocking out Daryl Gurney, home favourite Dirk van Duijvenbode, and 2023 World Champion Michael Smith en route to the final.

Gruellich’s run capped a breakthrough few weeks after winning his maiden Winmau Development Tour title in Leicester, further underlining his potential.

Elsewhere, Michael Smith continued his solid form by reaching his second Players Championship semi-final of the year, while Noppert once again showed his consistency in front of Dutch fans.

Van Duijvenbode lit up the early rounds with four consecutive 100+ averages but fell short against Gruellich in the quarter-finals. Also making the last eight were Ricardo Pietreczko, Mickey Mansell, and James Wade.

There was perfection on display as well: Ross Smith nailed a nine-darter during his second-round match with Thibault Tricole, joining Wessel Nijman, who had struck a perfect leg a day earlier.