Jonny Clayton (born 4 October 1974) is a Welsh professional
darts
Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...
player who plays in
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the World ...
(PDC) events. Nicknamed The Ferret, he was half of the
Welsh team
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
that won the
2020 PDC World Cup of Darts before winning his first televised singles title, the
2021 Masters, which would lead him to qualifying for the
2021 Premier League Darts
The 2021 Unibet Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and the seventeenth edition of the tournament. The event was scheduled to begin on Thursday 4 February at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff ...
, which he would go on to win as well. He subsequently won his first ranked televised title at the
2021 World Grand Prix.
Career
2015
Clayton joined the
PDC Pro Tour
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships and European Tour events. Only four players ...
in 2015 after winning a Tour Card on the final day of Qualifying School against Jake Strong in a 6-0 whitewash, a result that "Strongy" seems to replicate on many occasions. His first quarter-final came at the sixth
Players Championship event and he lost 6–1 to
Benito van de Pas
Benito van de Pas (born 18 January 1993) is a Dutch professional darts player.
Career BDO
Van de Pas reached the semi-finals of the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship, losing 1-4 to Michael van Gerwen.
Van de Pas won the 2011 German Open. ...
.
Clayton qualified for the
Grand Slam of Darts
The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invited the best performing players from its rival, the British Dart ...
later that year, but despite winning his opening match against
Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins (born 26 September 1963) is an English former professional darts player who was nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the name "Tucker" for his matches. He reached number three in the world rankings and was a runner-up in nin ...
, he went on to finish bottom of his group.
2016
Clayton's first appearance at the UK Open came in the
2016 edition, but he was defeated 6–3 by
James Wilson James Wilson may refer to:
Politicians and government officials
Canada
*James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada
* James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...
in the second round. Clayton recorded a quarter-final showing at the eighth
Players Championship and reached his first semi-final at the 12th event, but was whitewashed 6–0 by
Gary Anderson. A 2–0 victory over Tony Darlow saw Clayton claim the non-ranking Worthingtons Darts Champion of Champions title. He lost 6–3 to
Darren Webster
Darren Michael Webster (born 10 June 1968) is an English darts player nicknamed Demolition Man.
Career
Webster won the 2005 Open Oust Nederland, beating Co Stompé in the final.
Originally nicknamed The Sniper, Webster reached the quarter-fina ...
in round one of the
Players Championship Finals
The Players Championship Finals is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament originally featured the top 32 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit, a separate ranking system that only takes int ...
.
2017
Clayton made his
PDC World Championship debut in the
2017 event, and came from a set down to beat fellow Welshman
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. Nicknamed "The Iceman", he competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is cu ...
3–1 in the first round. He lost 4–1 to
Ian White in the second round.
Clayton won his first PDC ranking title with Players Championship 22 after beating
James Wilson James Wilson may refer to:
Politicians and government officials
Canada
*James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada
* James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...
6-1 in the final.
Clayton got to his first PDC major final at the
2017 Players Championship Finals. He beat
Jeffrey de Graaf
Jeffrey de Graaf (born 21 November 1990) is a Dutch darts player. He has played in six World Championships (four BDO and two PDC) but has lost in the first round each time. He moved from the BDO to the PDC in 2016.
Career BDO
In 2012, De Graaf ...
, Price,
Stephen Bunting
Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is an English professional darts player who competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former Wor ...
,
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1.
Background
Beaton was born in Co ...
and number 1 seed
Rob Cross, before losing out to
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
.
2018
His run to the final saw him break into the top 32 of the
PDC Order of Merit The PDC Order of Merit is a world ranking system used by one of the darts organisations, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Following the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship it superseded a world ranking system based on points being awarded fo ...
, meaning that he was a seed at the
2018 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2018 William Hill World Darts Championship was a darts event, held between 14 December 2017 and 1 January 2018 at the Alexandra Palace in London, United Kingdom. It was the 25th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporat ...
, where he was eliminated by fellow countryman
Jamie Lewis
Jamie Lewis (born 8 November 1991) is a Welsh professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. His biggest achievement to date was reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 ...
.
He went on to win the
2018 Austrian Darts Open by defeating
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. Nicknamed "The Iceman", he competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is cu ...
8-5 in the final. This meant that he was the first welsh winner on the PDC European tour.
2019
Clayton won Players Championship 10 by defeating
Gabriel Clemens
Gabriel Clemens (born August 16, 1983) is a German professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Career
In 2017, Clemens made the semi-finals of the 2017 World Masters (darts), World Masters, and missed matc ...
8-4 in the final. This was Jonny's 3rd ranking title.
2020: World Cup Champion
At this point a three-time PDC ranking title winner, Clayton was selected as a 'challenger' for the
2020 Premier League night in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, but lost 7–1 to an inspired
Michael Smith.
Clayton kicked off his 2020 season by defeating world number one
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
10-6 in the opening round of the
2020 Masters.
He went on to win the
2020 PDC World Cup of Darts for Wales with
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. Nicknamed "The Iceman", he competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is cu ...
as his teammate, defeating the English side of
Rob Cross and
Michael Smith 3-0.
2021: First individual title, Premier League and Grand Prix champion
At the
Masters Clayton beat
José de Sousa
José Augusto Oliveira de Sousa (born 12 February 1974) is a Portuguese professional darts player. He is based in Tarragona and represented Spain at the 2011 WDF World Cup, but played for the Portuguese team afterwards at the PDC. He won his ...
,
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
,
James Wade
James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the ...
and
Peter Wright en route to the final where he faced
Mervyn King. Clayton won the match 11–8 to win his first major individual televised title. In his match against Wade, he was successful in checking out 10 times out of 11 for a success rate of 91%, which the PDC claimed to be a possible world record.
He won two Players Championship events early in 2021.
Upon winning the Masters tournament, Clayton was invited to participate in the
2021 Premier League Darts
The 2021 Unibet Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and the seventeenth edition of the tournament. The event was scheduled to begin on Thursday 4 February at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff ...
, where on the third night of his debut season he hit a
nine-dart finish on the way to beating
José de Sousa
José Augusto Oliveira de Sousa (born 12 February 1974) is a Portuguese professional darts player. He is based in Tarragona and represented Spain at the 2011 WDF World Cup, but played for the Portuguese team afterwards at the PDC. He won his ...
.
After the fifth evening of league action Clayton was placed at the top of the league. He slipped to as low as 8th, before going into 4th position for night 16. He had to achieve at least a draw to secure his place in the playoffs. He managed to do so and won his game against
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Dimitri Van den Bergh (born 8 July 1994) is a Belgian professional darts player who currently competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a two-time World Youth Champion and the 2020 World Matchplay champion, after beating Gar ...
winning 8-6.
In the playoffs he beat
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
10-8 in their semi-final. He went on to defeat
José de Sousa
José Augusto Oliveira de Sousa (born 12 February 1974) is a Portuguese professional darts player. He is based in Tarragona and represented Spain at the 2011 WDF World Cup, but played for the Portuguese team afterwards at the PDC. He won his ...
11-5 in the final. In doing so he became the first Welsh winner of the Premier League and the first player to finish 4th in the league phase and win the title.
Clayton participated in the
World Grand Prix in which he reached the final after beating
Callan Rydz
Callan Rydz ( born 3 July 1998, from Newcastle upon Tyne) is a professional England, English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation events.
Darts career
At 2018 PDC Q-School he tried to win a tour card, however he missed o ...
,
José de Sousa
José Augusto Oliveira de Sousa (born 12 February 1974) is a Portuguese professional darts player. He is based in Tarragona and represented Spain at the 2011 WDF World Cup, but played for the Portuguese team afterwards at the PDC. He won his ...
,
Krzysztof Ratajski
Krzysztof Ratajski (Polish pronunciation: ; born 1 January 1977) is a Polish professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2017 World Masters. Ratajski also pl ...
and
Danny Noppert
Danny Noppert (born 31 December 1990) is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a former BDO World Darts Championship finalist, as well as being a Finder Darts Masters champion in 2017, ...
along the way. In the final Clayton prevailed over World No. 1
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. Nicknamed "The Iceman", he competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is cu ...
with a 5-1 victory winning him his third major tournament of the year. Three weeks later, Clayton picked up his fourth TV title of the year with an 11–6 victory over Dimitri Van den Bergh in the final of the
World Series of Darts Finals
The World Series of Darts Finals is a non-ranking darts tournament held by the Professional Darts Corporation. It is classed as a PDC premier event. The tournament was held annually in November, but in 2020, it moved to September, and moved to O ...
.
2022
At the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship, Clayton defeated Keane Barry and Gabriel Clemens before losing too eventual finalist Micheal Smith 4-3
World Championship performances
PDC
* 2017: Second round (lost to
Ian White 1–4)
* 2018: First round (lost to
Jamie Lewis
Jamie Lewis (born 8 November 1991) is a Welsh professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. His biggest achievement to date was reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 ...
0–3)
* 2019: Second round (lost to
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Dimitri Van den Bergh (born 8 July 1994) is a Belgian professional darts player who currently competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a two-time World Youth Champion and the 2020 World Matchplay champion, after beating Gar ...
1–3)
* 2020: Third round (lost to
Stephen Bunting
Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is an English professional darts player who competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former Wor ...
0–4)
* 2021: Third round (lost to
Joe Cullen 3–4)
* 2022: Fourth round (lost to
Michael Smith 3–4)
* 2023: ''Ongoing''
Career finals
PDC major finals: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
PDC team finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
PDC World Series finals: 1 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Career statistics
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Prel.) Preliminary round; (DNQ) Did not qualify; (DNP) Did not participate; (NH) Not held; (WD) Withdrew
Performance timeline
''PDC European Tour''
Nine-dart finishes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Jonny
1974 births
Living people
Welsh darts players
Sportspeople from Llanelli
Professional Darts Corporation current tour card holders
PDC World Cup of Darts Welsh championship team
Masters (darts) champions
Premier League Darts champions
World Grand Prix (darts) champions
World Series of Darts winners
Darts players who have thrown televised nine-dart games