Jonny Clayton to face Nathan Aspinall in World Matchplay final
Jonny Clayton defeated Luke Humphries in a thrilling semi-final at World Matchplay and had a showdown with Nathan Aspinall on Sunday.
Earlier, Aspinall had beaten Joe Cullen 17-9 but the decision for Saturday’s games came far later as Humphries and Clayton were difficult to separate before the Welshman clinically completed his task.
Humphries held the upper hand until mid-game but couldn’t shake The Ferret, who suffered two breaks twice but quickly recovered to a single leg each time.
Humphries hit double 10 to take an 11-9 lead before going into the final break, extending his two-leg lead again when Clayton missed the bullseye for the second time of the week after being offered a chance to level the score.
Clayton managed to keep the throw under pressure to stay within reach again and then hit the top with his last dart in the 24th leg to level the game at 12-12, each player having managed four throw breaks by that point.
Clayton held the throw lead for the first time since the end of the seventh leg and now the momentum was his, swinging in his direction and forcing the pressure in the opposite direction and onto Humphries’ shoulders.
This was shown in the following leg when Clayton had six darts from 170 against throw but his only dart at the top missed and Humphries caught up to not lose four in a row.
At 13-13 it was Clayton who had to knock out 70 for a valuable serve and he did it with two accurate darts, but Humphries started the following leg with his ninth maximum and equalized at 14-14.
The standards dropped slightly as Clayton held the throw without fuss to get closer to the finish line. His double shot looked particularly safe, but let him down in the next leg when two darts went wide for a throw pause before Humphries pinned a massive double five.
That could have proved crucial, but Humphries was unable to build on another 180 to open the next game as Clayton hit double 18 under pressure and the Welshman then capitalized on a crucial slip from his opponent to score 80 on the tops, earning that precious final break at the end of a brilliant encounter.
This sent Chris Hammer into the finals with a 20/1 aggregate pick, where backers are hoping he can face off again against a potentially fresher Aspinall.
“It’s for my fans, for my family, for my dad,” said Clayton, whose dad is ill. “I love it, I absolutely love it. It means a lot to me to cross the finish line against one of the best players in the world.”
“I hope to collect the trophy tomorrow, that’s all that matters.”
World Matchplay: Saturday Results and Remaining Schedule
Saturday 22nd July (1900 BST)
Semifinals (Best of 33 Legs)
TV channel: Sky Sports
- Nathan Aspinall 17-9 Joe Cullen
- Jonny Clayton 17-15 Luke Humphries
Sunday 23 July (2030 BST)
Final (Best of 35 Legs)
TV channel: Sky Sports
- Nathan Aspinall versus Jonny Clayton