Jonny Clayton produced one of the most dominant Players Championship campaigns in recent memory to clinch his first PDC ranking title of the year in Rosmalen.
Clayton dispatched German newcomer Dominik Gruellich 8-2 in Tuesday’s Players Championship 14 showpiece, averaging 109.68 to secure the seventh Players Championship title of his career.
The Welsh number one produced ton-plus averages in six of his seven matches at the Autotron, conceding just 11 legs across the course of the afternoon.
“Today was a good day. I loved every second of it,” admitted Clayton, who boasted a tournament average of 103.59.
“Fair play to Dominik. He did brilliantly, but things went my way today, and hopefully it carries on going for the rest of the year.
“If I can find this form consistently, that would be brilliant. I’ll be dangerous then!
“I just take every tournament as it comes. When it doesn’t go well, you have to take it on the chin, but I will always keep trying.”
Clayton’s opening round demolition of George Killington set the tone, and his 111.16 average in that contest was the highest of the day in Rosmalen.
Following successive 6-2 wins against Swedish duo Oskar Lukasiak and Jeffrey de Graaf, Clayton then powered through to the last eight with a 6-1 thumping of Michael van Gerwen.
There, the former Premier League champion stormed to a whitewash win over James Wade, before reeling off six straight legs from 3-1 down to breeze past Danny Noppert 7-3 in the semi-finals.
Clayton produced a similarly explosive burst against Gruellich, landing a brace of 11-darters and 121 checkouts in the latter stages to pocket the £15,000 top prize on Dutch soil.
Gruellich, meanwhile, was competing in his first senior PDC final, just weeks after clinching his maiden Winmau Development Tour title in Leicester.
The 23-year-old – who earned his PDC Tour Card in January – claimed the scalps of Daryl Gurney, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Michael Smith to cap off a breakthrough campaign.
Former World Champion Smith also impressed in Rosmalen, progressing to his second Players Championship semi-final of the year alongside Dutch number two Noppert.
Noppert’s compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode registered four consecutive ton-plus averages before succumbing to Gruellich in the last eight, with Wade, Ricardo Pietreczko and Mickey Mansell completing the quarter-final line-up.
Players Championship 14 also saw Ross Smith achieve perfection during his second round clash against France’s Thibault Tricole, after Wessel Nijman produced a perfect leg of his own in Monday’s event.
Following a treble-header of European Tour events in Munich, Graz and Sindelfingen over the coming weeks, the PDC ProTour season will resume in Hildesheim next month.
Players Championships 15-16 will take place at Halle 39 on May 12-13, and coverage from four streaming boards in each event will be broadcast live through PDCTV.
The event draw and results are listed in the Match Centre.
Click here for match stats through DartConnect.
2025 Players Championship 14
Tuesday April 15
Autotron, Rosmalen
Last 16
Dominik Gruellich 6-4 Maik Kuivenhoven
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Chris Dobey
Michael Smith 6-2 Darren Beveridge
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Danny Noppert 6-2 Jimmy van Schie
Mickey Mansell 6-5 Andreas Harrysson
James Wade 6-5 Martin Schindler
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Michael van Gerwen
Quarter-Finals
Dominik Gruellich 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael Smith 6-2 Ricardo Pietreczko
Danny Noppert 6-1 Mickey Mansell
Jonny Clayton 6-0 James Wade
Semi-Finals
Dominik Gruellich 7-4 Michael Smith
Jonny Clayton 7-3 Danny Noppert
Final
Jonny Clayton 8-2 Dominik Gruellich
Nine-Darter!
Ross Smith hit a nine-darter in his second round tie against Thibault Tricole.