Two Welsh darts players are making a bid to create something that has never happened before: an all-Welsh final at the Premier League Darts championship at London's O2 Arena on 28 May, where a £350,000 top prize awaits the victor.
Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, who together have won the World Cup twice for Wales, face steep odds in their semi-final matches. Clayton must overcome defending champion Luke Humphries, while Price takes on reigning world champion Luke Littler. Yet both men are determined to set up a domestic showdown that would mark a historic moment for Welsh darts.
The 51-year-old Clayton, known as 'The Ferret,' has been the subject of particular scrutiny heading into the tournament. Before the 2026 Premier League began, bookmakers rated him as the firm outsider to win the entire competition — a designation that stung. "I was gutted to hear that," Clayton said, reflecting on his designation as the least-fancied competitor. "Being world number five, having not won any big majors to get me up there, so I'm pretty consistent, and then they reckon I'd finish bottom." Yet he has already silenced those doubters by finishing second in the league phase and extending his perfect record of reaching finals night in the showpiece event. Clayton won the tournament on his debut in 2021 and has carried that momentum forward. "I've put a lot of people quiet," he said, his confidence evident as he looks toward the semi-finals.
Price, 41, brings a different narrative to the finals night. The former world champion has faced considerable setbacks in recent months, withdrawing from multiple events, including the World Cup in June, due to unspecified health issues. His absence from the World Cup squad forced Wales to replace him with Nick Kenny for the tournament in Frankfurt — a painful decision for a player who has twice led his country to glory in the competition. Yet Price has emerged from this period with positive news about his health and a renewed sense of purpose. "I'm feeling like I'm in a good place. I think my game's in a good place," he said on the eve of finals night.
What makes this moment particularly significant for Price is that despite his decorated career, he has never won the Premier League — a gap in his trophy cabinet that weighs on him. "It's one of the ones that I haven't won, so just to tick that off and get that one in the bag, it would ease the pressure," he reflected. "But until you win a major then it's always added pressure every year."
Both men have expressed their pride at the prospect of an all-Welsh final. Clayton put it simply: "It would be great to have an all-Welsh final. We're Welsh and proud." The road there is formidable, however. Humphries and Littler — nicknamed 'Cool Hand' and 'The Nuke' respectively — have dominated recent finals, facing off in the past two years with Humphries victorious in 2025 after Littler had won the year before.
Should Clayton and Price both prevail in their semi-finals, they would create a moment of genuine pride for Welsh darts, a reminder that sometimes the underdogs write the best stories.