We had the chance to talk with Welsh darts player Jonny Clayton, known to darts fans as "the Ferret", about his season so far, other players on the tour, the future of the Welsh darts scene, and more.
Here's what Jonny had to say.
Q: Thank you, Jonny, for talking to us. We've got so many questions for you, so let's get started. You've had a fantastic 2026 season so far. One of the most recent wins was in New Zealand. How was that?
Yeah, it was brilliant. It's always good to win a tournament. Everybody knows that. I’ve had a bit of good form this year, so hopefully it carries on.
Q: And how great would it be to cap off this amazing year with a win at the Worlds? Fancy your chances?
Obviously, I fancy my chances, but that's where we're all chasing that dream, and we all know that it's the biggest trophy of all. So, yeah, I feel very good at the moment, and my darts are in a good place, so at the Worlds, who knows?
Q: How would you go about preparing for the Worlds? Has that prep started already?
I don't overthink things. I just turn up at the next tournament and try my best there. I only start to think of the following tournament after I've finished the current one.
I never overthink things in darts. I'm not that kind of person. I was the same when I played rugby. It was basically a case of I needed to be in training on Tuesday and Thursday, and then we'd play a match on Saturday.
I'm not one that's too deep into things, I never have been. It’s just go with the flow with me.
Q: So you don't find that maybe between now and then, if you win a few events leading up to the Worlds, that wouldn't affect the confidence in any way? Same old Jonny?
Yeah, I’d be the same old Jonny. Obviously, it's when you're playing well that's where the confidence is. With any tournament, if you turn up at the right time and as a player, I think I can speak for everybody the same. It's that you just want to be on form that week or that weekend. Especially with the Worlds, it's nearly three weeks, isn't it?
So you just want to be on form at the right time, and when you're relaxed and smiling, that's when you know that your game's in a good place.
Q: Would you call it your main career goal to lay claim to that world title?
Yeah, I'd love to win that world title, of course. It's a dream for everybody, especially with that million pounds stuck next door to it. That sounds so good, doesn't it? So, obviously I’m looking forward to going for that.
Q: How would you spend that million if you won it?
I'd find a way, don't you worry about that. I like my cars, so probably a new car would be top of my list, I think.
Q: You've always had some really huge battles of late with some of the new guys, Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen. Has playing against that new generation brought out another level to your game?
I think the level of the game overall has changed. Those three players, Littler, Humphries, Van Veen, are all brilliant; they're absolutely great. They're the young generation coming through, but the rest of us, we've been around for a long time. We’ve seen, as part of darts, lower averages, and we’ve seen the higher averages of today.
I think darts is just in a great place. I'm lucky enough to be in the sport at the moment. How much further can it go? I don't know. I think it's in a really good place.
I think with the academies and the youngsters that are actually involved in darts now, it can only make the game better again.
So to be a part of it at this moment, with these youngsters coming through and playing like they are, it's basically you have to stick with them or give it up. Luckily enough, I'm still there, even though I'm 52 and getting a bit old now.
But no, genuinely, I'm enjoying it. These younger guys are great players, and they're putting the sport where it should be.
Q: Of those three players that you've faced off against quite a lot, who would you call the trickiest opponent?
They’re all amazing. Look at Luke Humphries, he’s a fantastic player. Then you've got Van Veen, you know, what a nice, genuine guy who puts everything into darts, and it shows on stage when he plays. He's a class act.
But you know what Luke Littler has done over the last, what, three or so years. Oh my God, fair play to him, he’s brilliant.
Q: Speaking of Luke Littler, he's gotten quite a bit of stick from the crowds at times. Obviously, he's still a very, very young man. Do you think the other top players on the circuit need to do a bit more to rally around each other, the young players like Littler in particular, to make sure there's a bit of a players' union to protect each other?
Well, that's a funny one, because you think of yourself first and foremost. You don't really think about other players when you’re playing, because people are different.
We've all got different strategies, and we all believe in different things. It would be hard to put everybody on the table and get the right thing. So that's a difficult one, really.
Yes, we need a union to, and if we need to go and speak to somebody, then we should have that, but I don't know if that could really work, to be honest, because there are so many different opinions. Some people think this bit is good, some people think that bit is bad. I don't think it would work out. You've just got to figure it out for yourself.
And as a player, you accept the crowd. You will always have your fans, and you will always have your opponent's fans, so you've got to cope with the boos and the whistles and whatever.
What can you do about it? You've got an arena full of people, some of whom are very drunk, and when you’re playing, you can't do anything about it. You're up there, and you've got to try and blank it out of your mind.
Q: We've all got eyes on Luke Littler, especially ahead of Ally Pally. Do you think that the other Luke, Humphries, is going a bit under the radar? He was very much the man to beat only about two years ago.
No, I don't think Humphries is going under the radar, to be honest. I just think it's the battle of the Lukes at the moment, isn't it? The two Lukes are fantastic.
Luke Humphries obviously picked up the trophy on the weekend in the World Grand Prix. He’s a great player, a fantastic player. And those two boys, we all know, are actually the ones to beat at the moment.
If those two were on different parts of the draw, you would probably fancy both of them reaching the final.
So, like I say, when you play against that quality of player as the two Lukes are, you have to take your chances. You try and keep them under pressure so they have to keep scoring, for them to keep hitting their outs. But, yeah, the two Lukes, they are definitely the two guys to beat.
I would think the fans know it too, because we all watch the game. I try my best not to watch darts if I'm out of a tournament, but with the kids at home loving the darts, it's always on, and you do end up watching. So I can speak as a fan, and I think their opinions would be the same as mine.
You know, more often than not, it’s got to be at least one of the two Lukes in the final. So, yeah, it's great for us. That's why I'm saying darts is in a great place, and our job is to try and knock those Lukes off their pegs.
Q: The rivalry between yourself and the other top Welsh star of darts, Gerwyn Price, is well documented. Is there a genuine competitiveness away from the stage, or is it all left on the oche?
No, it's all left on the oche with Gezzy and me, to be honest. We're rugby boys, and at the end of the day, we've played the same sport, and we have the same backgrounds.
When you're playing the game, obviously you try and win. And that is the only time that I try and crack Gezzy by making him smile on stage, but it's not happening. It's not happening at all.
He's like a miserable git on the stage. You just want a smile back off him. But no, to be fair, on the stage, we both play to win. As soon as we walk off that stage, whichever one of us has won the game, we're back in that dressing room, and it's all forgotten about, and we're back to being mates again. It's only on stage, but it's good to have that competition.
I'd love to face Gerwyn Price in the Worlds final, yeah, I'd love to, because that would mean we've both done our jobs.
Q: Welsh darts is probably the strongest it's ever been with you and Gerwyn right at the top of your games. But who do you think is going to be the next big name in Welsh darts?
Well, there's a lot of academies turning up in Wales, do you know what I mean? So that's a good thing. That's a great thing for us because obviously in my time, my era, there weren't many academies in Wales. I don't think there were any unless you played for Glamorgan Youth, so a county.
But now there are academies popping up everywhere.
So there's a lot of interest in darts in Wales at the moment, and that can only be good for us as well.
I don't know who's going to be the next star. I don't know, but that's the better thing, isn't it? Because it's the world of the unknown that is the exciting part.
When you see somebody coming from nowhere, all of a sudden, like Luke Littler, even though he played darts for many years, he just came from nowhere and just hit the darts world by storm. And I think if we can have a Welshman like that, it'd be fantastic.
Q: Are there any Welsh players currently on the circuit you think could break the top 16 in the near future?
Well, looking at it at the moment, you've got Nick Kenny, Robert Owen, Rhys Griffin, the Welsh boys, but they're struggling to stay in the top 64 at the moment. But as playing ability goes, they're much better than that.
But like I say, it's the standard where darts are; if you don't perform and be quite consistent, it's a tough place out there, and to stay in the top 64 for one thing is a big task because of the standard of darts.
And you just have got to have a bit of luck as well. And when you're scrapping out, you know, horrible games and you win, all of a sudden that money goes on your ranking and then you get a little bit further up than 64.
You might be ranked 58, you might be ranked 50. All of a sudden you'll get into a safe space. But at the moment, it's like those boys are struggling to stay in the top 64.
Q: Are there any youngsters of any nationality who you think could break the top 16?
Yeah, definitely. I think Beau Greaves is just a matter of time. Eventually she's going to fly up those rankings. She's brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
I've only played against Beau twice. Hopefully I don't play against her again unless it's the Worlds final. But no, to be fair, you've got to give credit when it's due. She is fantastic.
She's just come into the world of darts, as in on the ProTour, and she just fits in. She plays really well, she's hitting hundred averages as if it's just another day, like I'll just throw a hundred average, you know, I'll just show these boys what we can do.
I've only played against her twice, like I said. She battered me the second time, and it was as if she was the world No. 5, not me. So, yeah, to be fair to Beau, she's brilliant. She’s a great girl, and it's nice to have her on tour.
This concludes the first part of our interview with Jonny Clayton. Stay tuned for part two!
