Luke Littler’s Premier League woes continued on Thursday evening as the teenage sensation suffered a crushing 6-1 defeat to Jonny Clayton in the semi-finals at Glasgow’s Hydro.
The 19-year-old, who has claimed two world championship titles, appeared far removed from his usual dynamic form throughout the contest.
Clayton, nicknamed The Ferret, dominated proceedings from start to finish against an opponent who struggled to find any rhythm.
The heavy loss means Littler has now failed to secure a single nightly victory across the opening three weeks of the competition, leaving him languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
The Welshman enjoyed a remarkable evening in Scotland.
He secured the night’s title with a comprehensive 6-2 victory over world number three Gian van Veen in the final, capping off his performance with a spectacular 156 checkout.
Earlier in the competition, Clayton overcame fellow countryman Gerwyn Price 6-3, bringing an end to a dismal run of ten consecutive defeats against his World Cup partner stretching back three years.
Having dispatched Price, then Littler, and finally Van Veen, Clayton completed a clean sweep of victories to claim top honours on the night.
Luke Littler’s Premier League woes continued on Thursday evening
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Clayton said afterwards: “I’m enjoying myself and things seem to happen.
“I’ve got to concentrate on myself not them.”
Littler had received a bye into the semi-finals after Michael van Gerwen pulled out of the evening’s action due to illness.
Speaking about the Dutchman’s withdrawal, Littler said: “There were obviously rumours that he wasn’t going to play.
Jonny Clayton secured the night’s title with a comprehensive 6-2 victory over world number three Gian van Veen in the final
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He added: “I was thinking, ‘It’s Michael, he’ll get over it, he’ll come and play because Michael is in very good form’.”
Despite missing out on the anticipated clash with Van Gerwen, the teenager accepted the situation pragmatically.
He said: “Coming here, I knew I was up for a battle, I was up for the challenge against Michael. But I’ll take the two points.”
Littler acknowledged the importance of treating every match with equal focus regardless of the circumstances.
Michael van Gerwen was forced to withdraw from this evening’s Premier League darts in Glasgow after falling ill
| PAHe explained: “I think you’ve always got to start from the beginning, start from the first-round game because no matter who I play, they’re going to have confidence, they’ve already played on the stage.”
Elsewhere on the night, Luke Humphries proved too strong for Josh Rock, running out a comfortable 6-2 winner to leave the Northern Irishman without a point after three weeks.
Stephen Bunting also remains winless in the competition following a 6-3 defeat to Van Veen in their quarter-final encounter.