Jonny Clayton could hit the magical 25 point mark after only 7 weeks – Dublin Preview
Jonny Clayton could hit the magical 25 point mark after only 7 weeks – Dublin Preview
Jonny Clayton will look to strengthen his grip at the top of the Premier League Darts table when the roadshow arrives at the 3Arena on Thursday night.
Night Seven of the 2026 campaign heads to Dublin on March 19, with Clayton aiming to build on what has already been an outstanding start to the season. The Welshman currently leads the standings by a commanding margin and will be hoping to add to his tally after securing his second nightly victory of the campaign in Nottingham last week.
Clayton has been in exceptional form throughout the opening weeks, winning nights in both Glasgow and Nottingham, while also maintaining a perfect record in the quarter-finals. Remarkably, he has won his opening match on all six previous nights, a level of consistency that has been key to his rise to the summit.
The 51-year-old has accumulated 19 points from the first six weeks, leaving him eight points clear of his nearest challenger, Luke Littler. Despite that advantage, Clayton remains focused on maintaining his momentum rather than protecting his lead.
“Two nightly wins in the first six weeks, it’s brilliant,” beamed Clayton, who will face Luke Humphries in a repeat of last week’s final.
“I wasn’t expecting to do so well, but it’s happening. I’m looking for two points week-in, week-out, and anything else is a bonus.
“I love it. I’m top of the league and that’s where I want to be! It’s hard to catch the ones on top.
“I know that Luke will be coming out all guns blazing in Dublin as well, but my aim is to win two points. I don’t care who I play against, I need two points on that board.”
Humphries arrives in Dublin on the back of a confidence-boosting run in Nottingham, where he reached his first nightly final of the season. The reigning champion overcame Gian van Veen and then defeated world champion Littler to kickstart his campaign.
Despite that progress, Humphries finds himself in a tightly contested battle for the Play-Off places. He is one of three players currently sitting on nine points, but sits just outside the top four, with Gerwyn Price and Van Veen occupying third and fourth position respectively.
Price, meanwhile, continues to show strong form across multiple competitions. The Welshman was narrowly beaten in a dramatic 6-5 quarter-final clash against Littler in Nottingham, but bounced back impressively by reaching the final of the European Darts Trophy in Göttingen over the weekend.
Dublin has been a happy hunting ground for Price in the past. He claimed the nightly win at the 3Arena in 2025, defeating Littler, Humphries and Nathan Aspinall along the way, and even produced a memorable 170 checkout against the world number two during that run.
“I’m in a good head-space,” insisted Price, who will locks horns with Josh Rock in Thursday’s quarter-finals.
“You need a little bit of luck along the way to win tournaments, and I haven’t had that. If I’m playing well and losing, then fair play to the other player.
“If I just keep doing what I’m doing and enjoy the game, the wins will come.”
Elsewhere, Van Veen continues his pursuit of a maiden nightly victory and faces Michael van Gerwen in the opening match of the evening. Both players will be eager to respond after suffering quarter-final exits last week.
Van Gerwen made a strong start to the campaign, collecting eight points across the opening two nights, but has since struggled to maintain that form. He has not recorded a nightly win since finishing runner-up in Antwerp on Night Two and currently sits sixth in the standings, although he remains just one point behind Van Veen.
The evening’s other quarter-final sees Littler take on Stephen Bunting. The reigning world champion has enjoyed an upturn in form, collecting seven points over the last two weeks, including his first nightly win of the season in Cardiff.
That resurgence has propelled Littler into second place in the table and firmly back into Play-Off contention. Bunting, meanwhile, sits seventh but will take confidence from his recent victory over Rock in Nottingham, which marked his fourth win of the campaign.
With the league table beginning to take shape and the race for the Play-Off places intensifying, Night Seven in Dublin
Jonny Clayton could hit the magical 25 point mark after only 7 weeks
2026 BetMGM Premier League
Night Seven – 3Arena, Dublin
Thursday March 19
Quarter-Finals
Gian van Veen v Michael van Gerwen
Stephen Bunting v Luke Littler
Josh Rock v Gerwyn Price
Jonny Clayton v Luke Humphries
Semi-Finals
Van Veen/Van Gerwen v Bunting/Littler
Rock/Price v Clayton/Humphries
Final
v
All matches best of 11 legs
