By Harry Eddolls
Tonight saw the Premier League head to the Welsh capital, with the Cardiff crowd enjoying seven games throughout the course of night five.
QUARTER-FINAL 1: Michael van Gerwen vs Luke Humphries
The first quarter-final of the night saw Michael van Gerwen face Luke Humphries. The pair opened with a trade of holds, before Cool Hand stormed away, winning the next five legs to record an impressive 6-1 win.
QUARTER-FINAL 2: Gian van Veen vs Jonny Clayton
Next up was Gian van Veen, who faced home hero Jonny Clayton. Van Veen won the first leg, but a 105 out from Clayton in leg two began a run of four straight legs for the Welshman. The Dutchman mounted some resistance, winning three of the next four legs, including a 104 out in leg nine. It wouldn’t be enough to complete a comeback however, as The Ferret stumbled over the line in leg ten to a 6-4 win, much to the delight of the Cardiff crowd.
QUARTER-FINAL 3: Gerwyn Price vs Stephen Bunting
Another Welsh legend took to the stage in the next match, as Gerwyn Price faced last week’s winner Stephen Bunting. The Bullet started best, taking the first two legs to establish the early lead. Leg two began a run of three straight holds, before three straight breaks left the match locked at 4-4. The match then went back to three straight holds, which saw The Iceman over the line to a 6-5 victory.
QUARTER-FINAL 4: Luke Littler vs Josh Rock
The final quarter-final of the night saw Luke Littler face Josh Rock, who was desperate to get off the mark. The match began with four straight holds, which included a 102 out to kick off from Rock. Littler found the first big moment, by breaking in leg five, before holding in the next to go 4-2 up. Leg six began a run of five straight holds, which when over saw The Nuke to a 6-4 win, which piled even more misery on Rocky.
SEMI-FINAL 1: Luke Humphries vs Jonny Clayton
The semi-finals were up next, with the first seeing Luke Humphries face Jonny Clayton. The match began with four holds, to leave the match locked at 2-2. The fourth leg began a run of four straight legs for The Ferret, to put him in firm control at 5-2 up. Humphries tried to mount some resistance, breaking before holding to reduce the gap to 5-4, but Clayton kept his cool in leg ten, to get over the line to a 6-4 win, and his second nightly final of this years campaign.
SEMI-FINAL 2: Gerwyn Price vs Luke Littler
The other semi saw another clash between a Welshman and Englishman, as Gerwyn Price battled against Luke Littler. The Nuke came out the traps well, breaking before finding a 121 out to go 2-0 up. That began a run of seven straight holds, which included another ton-plus out from Littler, this time a 111 in leg six, to leave him 5-3 up and on the brink. He then produced a special moment in leg nine, reeling in the big fish 170 out to secure a 6-3 win, and make his first nightly final of the year.
FINAL: Jonny Clayton vs Luke Littler
The final would see a third straight clash between a Welshman and Englishman, as Jonny Clayton faced Luke Littler for the Cardiff crown. The match began with two straight breaks, before Jonny held to go 2-1 up. Littler then produced yet another big fish in the fourth to level.
The pair kept trading holds until leg eight, leaving them locked at 4-4, before The Nuke found the breakthrough in leg nine to go within a leg of the match. He wasted no time in getting over the line, holding in the next to secure a 6-4 win, and his first nightly crown of this years Premier League.