Johnny Clayton consolidated his lead at the top of the Premier League darts table with a 6-4 victory over Luke Littler in the 11th night final in Rotterdam.
It marked Creighton’s fourth win of the night of the 2026 season, with the Welshman continuing his winning streak with victories at Glasgow and Nottingham following his previous win at Brighton.
‘The Ferret’ is now at the top of the table with a five-point advantage and is almost guaranteed to qualify for Finals Night at the O2 in May.
They lead the table with 29 points, followed by Littler in second with 24 points, Gerwyn Price in third with 19 points and Michael van Gerwen in fourth with 16 points.
Littler reached the night’s final for the fourth time, but although he was unable to clinch the victory, he did manage to silence the Rotterdam crowd that booed him when he came out on a walkover before his quarterfinal match against Price.
The night in Rotterdam saw two Dutch players appear in the Premier League for the first time since 2019, although Jan van Veen and Van Gerwen lost in the quarter-finals.
“I watched the final against Michael (van Gerwen) last week and it hurt a little bit when someone said we were likely to finish bottom of the Premier League,” Clayton told Sky Sports.
“To be honest, it was a little frustrating, but I’m all smiles because it’s going well for me.
“Grandpa and young boy! All kidding aside, I have a lot of respect for Luke. He’s just amazing.
“This guy is a great darts player who is many years ahead of him and showed all the level he needs to beat him. But there’s still life in this old dog.”
Creighton fended off Littler in four Premier League games against “The Nuke” in 2026, winning three.
From a 2-0 deficit, Creighton rattled off three straight legs and eventually extended its lead to 5-3. Littler won the next leg, but Clayton held his own and won the D20 with a pin.
Creighton shows grit and Premier League ability
Creighton showed he knows how to win ugly with a 6-5 win over Josh Locke in the semifinals.
In a hard-fought game, there was nothing separating the two sides, and a throw break gave Creighton a 5-4 lead.
Lock scored a spectacular 142 checkout to take the match to the finals, but then his triple was gone. This allowed Creighton’s efficient pitching to take the top spot in the fifth night’s final.
The Ferrets had earlier dashed Van Gerwen’s hopes of winning the Premier League at home with a resounding 6-2 win.
It was clear from the start that Van Gerwen was frustrated with every narrow chance he missed, while Creighton continued their strong run from Brighton, taking five legs in a row before the Dutchman fought back.
The Welshman then wrapped up the match in style by involving ‘Big Fish’, dashing the Dutch crowd’s hopes of winning on home soil in 2026.
How Littler silenced the Rotterdam crowd
Littler started the night by silencing the raucous Rotterdam crowd with a 6-3 victory over Price.
He told Sky Sports before the match that he knew there would be a strong backlash after his altercation with Dutch world number one Van Veen in early April, which is what happened.
After walking out to heavy boos, Littler found his zone and showed a steely look on stage as he remained emotionless and focused on his game.
He started with a hold on the throw, followed by a 124 checkout for a break on the throw.
Five consecutive slow breaks gave Littler a 4-2 lead, and after holding his throws on each one, the world No. 1 shined again in the ninth leg, this time hitting the bullseye for his second 124 finish.
At last, Littler reacted loudly and let out a roar.
Littler fought back from Luke Humphries to win 6-5 and advance to the final.
The match was tense on both legs, but the tension increased even more when Littler gestured to the crowd to “calm down,” causing another uproar.
Littler, who made an imposing appearance on stage, extended his lead to 5-2 with a four-legged spin, but Humphries countered with a three-legged one of his own to tie the match at 5-5.
Despite Humphries’ hard work, Littler held his own with his pitching and defeated favorite D10 to advance to the finals.
In other games, Humphries earned its first quarterfinal victory in four weeks with a comprehensive 6-3 victory over Van Veen.
Van Veen’s long-awaited moment as a walk-on in front of his home crowd was the only joy he found in Rotterdam.
Humphries took two pitching breaks and went through a double clinical period to pick up the crucial two points for the defending Premier League champions as they look to improve their place ahead of next month’s finals.
Despite continuing to improve and defeating Stephen Bunting 6-1 in the last quarter-final, Locke remains bottom of the table.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries is set to defend his title, and you can watch the fight on Sky Sports every Thursday until May. Stream darts and other top sports now.





