Littler & Humphries miss chance in Van Gerwen's absence as Clayton claims Premier League win

[p]Right at the start of the third PL night, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-veen-gian/jgT1AT29/"]Gian van Veen[/a] produced his A-game and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/darts/humphries-l-n34VOAWo/van-veen-g-jgT1AT29/?mid=fwewzUAt"]secured a 6-3 win over Stephen Bunting[/a]. The Dutchman averaged 104.36 and cruised into the semi-finals, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/humphries-luke/n34VOAWo/"]Luke Humphries[/a] later managed to top that average.[/p][p]The former world champion posted a stunning 105.95 average in his [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/darts/humphries-l-n34VOAWo/rock-j-xKxxNY1P/?mid=pQHz5trI"]6-2 victory over Josh Rock[/a], firing in three 180s to make a real statement – though it would ultimately prove short-lived.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/clayton-jonny/tx0y2xRD/"]Jonny Clayton[/a], on the other hand, caused an upset in a closely contested match, defeating an in-form [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/price-gerwyn/8dDDoW0B/"]Gerwyn Price[/a].[/p][p]"The Ferret" was always a step ahead of his fellow Welshman [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/darts/clayton-j-tx0y2xRD/price-g-8dDDoW0B/?mid=OSv28FlA"]and eventually sealed a 6-3 win[/a] to book his place among the evening’s top four. There, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/littler-luke/0URN6Xks/"]Luke Littler[/a] was already waiting, after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-gerwen-michael/SU4UkKsm/"]Michael van Gerwen[/a] had withdrawn due to illness. According to reports, "The Green Machine" was completely laid low and even had to take antibiotics.[/p][embed guid="777d16a0-f678-45ca-908e-c617ea3c8e44" url="https://x.com/MvG180/status/2024407325641994661" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Clayton makes a statement with victory[/h2][p]The battle for a place in the final turned into a night of surprises, as the much-anticipated Luke vs Luke showdown failed to materialise. Gian van Veen set the tone, impressing with his timing against Luke Humphries.[/p][p]Despite trailing 2-4 and averaging 95.75 to Humphries’ 103.25, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/darts/humphries-l-n34VOAWo/van-veen-g-jgT1AT29/?mid=fwewzUAt"]the Dutchman turned it around to win 6-5[/a] and book his place in the final. A tough blow for "Cool Hand Luke", who would surely have liked to pick up valuable points in Michael van Gerwen’s absence.[/p][embed guid="52f6acae-03b4-4a8f-90ad-91f390fcbf1f" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2024605538323923063" social-type="twitter" /][p]Even more unexpected was the result of the second semi-final. Luke Littler, playing his first match of the evening, perhaps struggled without a "warm-up round" and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/darts/clayton-j-tx0y2xRD/littler-l-0URN6Xks/?mid=lv3gyYi2"]fell 6-1 to Jonny Clayton[/a].[/p][p]The Welshman was in sensational form, averaging 101.33 and hitting four 180s to set up a final clash with Gian van Veen.[/p][embed guid="69a07f9a-374d-4678-b62e-48f37831f44e" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2024606040562499942" social-type="twitter" /][p]There, "The Ferret" kept his momentum going, ultimately triumphing 6-2 with an average of 104.35. The King of Glasgow crowned his night with a masterful performance.[/p][h2][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/darts/world/premier-league/results/"]Follow the Premier League with Flashscore[/a][/b][/h2]