Jonny Clayton claimed victories over Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price before beating Michael Smith 6-4 in the final; Van Gerwen remains top of the season-long standings; the Premier League heads to the Utilita Arena, Birmingham for night ten on Thursday April 6, live on Sky Sports
Last Updated: 30/03/23 11:06pm
Jonny Clayton won night nine of the Premier League season in Berlin
Jonny Clayton secured a first night victory of the Cazoo Premier League season and bolstered his hopes of qualifying for the play-offs after defeating world champion Michael Smith in the final of night nine in Berlin.
Clayton came through a final-leg decider to knock out league leader Michael van Gerwen and claimed an impressive 6-4 victory over compatriot Gerwyn Price, ending the Ice Man’s hopes a third consecutive night win, then prevailed 6-4 in a tight tussle against Smith.
Smith opened with a 13-dart hold but wasted two break darts in the next to allow Clayton to level the contest, with the Welshman then breaking with a 86 checkout and adding a 80 finish to race into a 3-1 lead.
Premier League – Night 9 in tBerlin Results
| Quarter-finals | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 3-6 | Michael Smith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Aspinall | 6-4 | Chris Dobey | |
| Jonny Clayton | 6-5 | Michael van Gerwen | |
| Peter Wright | 3-6 | Gerwyn Price | |
| Semi-finals | Michael Smith | 6-4 | Nathan Aspinall |
| Jonny Clayton | 6-4 | Gerwyn Price | |
| Final | Michael Smith | 4-6 | Jonny Clayton |
Clayton squandered two chance to claim a fourth straight leg in the fifth, then found himself behind when Smith followed a stunning 130 checkout on the bullseye and 12-dart break by holding throw in the next.
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Michael Smith finds 130 on the bullseye to levels things up in his Premier League final clash with Jonny Clayton in Berlin
Smith was punished for more missed doubles as Clayton levelled the match on tops and then edged back ahead with a 85 checkout, then signed off victory in style with a brilliant 120 finish in the tenth leg.
Victory sees Clayton jump to fifth in the season-long standings on 12 points and within three of Nathan Aspinall – who was beaten by Smith in the semi-finals – in fourth, while Price closed the gap on Van Gerwen after his semi-final finish.
Smith despatched Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-3 in the quarter-finals and came agonisingly close to a nine-dart leg on his way to a 6-4 victory over Aspinall, then fell short in his bid for a second night win of the season.
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Michael Smith was so close to getting another nine-darter in his semi-final match with Nathan Aspinall
More to follow…
Where are we heading next?
Night 10 in Birmingham: Thursday, April 6
| Quarter-Finals | Michael van Gerwen vs Chris Dobey |
|---|---|
| Nathan Aspinall vs Jonny Clayton | |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Gerwyn Price | |
| Peter Wright vs Michael Smith |
The Premier League roadshow heads to the Utilita Arena, Birmingham on Thursday, April 6 for night ten of the league season.
Smith and Wright lock horns in a repeat of the 2022 world championship final.
Elsewhere, Price takes on Van den Bergh, Dobey and six-time winner Van Gerwen collide, while Clayton and Aspinall also lock horns.
2023 Premier League Schedule
| Night 3 | OVO Hydro, Glasgow | February 16 |
| Night 4 | 3Arena, Dublin | February 23 |
| Night 5 | Westpoint Exeter | March 2 |
| Night 6 | The Brighton Centre | March 9 |
| Night 7 | Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham | March 16 |
| Night 8 | Utilita Arena, Newcastle | March 23 |
| Night 9 | Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin | March 30 |
| Night 10 | Utilita Arena, Birmingham | April 6 |
| Night 11 | M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool | April 13 |
| Night 12 | Rotterdam Ahoy | April 20 |
| Night 13 | First Direct Arena, Leeds | April 27 |
| Night 14 | AO Arena, Manchester | May 4 |
| Night 15 | Utilita Arena, Sheffield | May 11 |
| Night 16 | P&J Live, Aberdeen | May 18 |
| Play-Offs | The O2, London | May 25 |
We are back for more Premier League Darts action from the Utilita Arena, Birmingham on Thursday, April 6 – live on Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm.