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.
Q: I'm sure you're aware of it the new Netflix show ‘Beat Luke Littler’. It starts on October 30th. Amateurs have the chance to win £501,000 if they win a leg against The Nuke. Obviously, top players like yourself win legs against Luke over time, but that's more than triple the prize money of winning the Grand Prix that's just gone. Do you think that's a fair amount of money?
Well, it's not really real, is it? I mean, it's just a Netflix programme.
It's an opportunity for an amateur player to win a lot of cash, and good for them, I suppose. I don't get it myself, but it is what it is.
Q: Do you think anyone's going to do it? Is anyone going to win a leg against the Nuke?
No, I don't think so. He's far too good. He'd have to be proper off form, and I don’t think he will be, so no. I think the £501,000 is safe.
Q: Obviously you've been in some high-pressure situations yourself in the past where just one well-placed dart can win you a huge sum of cash. What advice would you have to any amateur contestants who find themselves just one well-placed dart at a double away from half a mil?
Well, I think you're asking the wrong person, because I had a chance against Gezzy Price in the Grand Prix that I missed.
But no, it's just trying to keep calm. You just don't overthink it. You know the saying "play the board"? I think it is the worst saying of all time. But it's true. Just play the board, not the person.
But it's easier said than done when you've got that chance to hit that double and win a lot of money. It's like, oh my God, this could change my life kind of thing, you know? I've been in that kind of situation before, and you just hope for the best, really.
Just aim and throw, just do what you do and just hope it goes in. Just relax. Just let it go. It doesn't change anything, so just play your game.
Try to forget about the prize money, yeah, but it's hard to do that. It's very tough to do that.
Q: Obviously this programme is naturally going to bring a bit of extra exposure to the sport. Do you welcome those new audiences it will bring, or do you think it risks turning darts into something a bit more of a pure entertainment show, a little bit trivial?
I don't know, to be honest. Will there even be a different audience? I know the darts fan will watch that programme on Netflix, obviously, but will somebody else who’s not already into darts watch it? If you're not interested in darts, you're not going to be interested in the programme, so I don't know about it bringing new audiences.
To me, it’s just a programme being done on darts, and that's it. It's not really for me.
Q: Are you happy that these new programmes about darts are happening?
I'm a player, and that's it. I just play the game. Darts is so big now, so it's obvious that things like that are going to happen because of what's happening in the world of darts, but I play the game because I love the sport. It's not because I want to be on a TV show.
Q: The return of Phil Taylor has divided quite a few opinions in the darts fanbase. It's very big news. Some are happy that he's back to show a new audience what he can do. Some believe that he's sort of past his best and maybe shouldn't tarnish his legacy. What are your thoughts on Phil's return?
Well, for being the GOAT, for being the best player ever, Phil’s trophy cabinet must be so full. He's probably got a shed just for his trophies out the back.
To be Phil Taylor, what he's done in darts was fantastic.
But he's been out of the game a long, long time. Obviously, because he had a shoulder injury, he stopped throwing.
But with Phil coming back, I'd prefer to remember Phil for what he's done. He could come back and be absolutely rubbish, and people go, "Phil Taylor, how did he win those trophies?" If things don't go his way. If Phil Taylor comes back and does what he used to do, they'd go, "Yeah, Phil Taylor, that is the Phil Taylor we all know."
But that's up to Phil, isn't it? Personally, I would leave it where it was. If it was me, I'd rather they remember me for what I'd done, not what could happen.
Phil is a great guy. I play a lot of exhibitions with Phil, and I get on really well with him and like I say, he’s the GOAT, he’s absolutely brilliant, he was fantastic.
Q: Do you think we might see him at Ally Pally this year?
Jonny Clayton: No, I don't think so, to be honest, no. I think Phil would have to go back to the eight hours a day practising before he gets back there. So, yeah, that's just an honest opinion.
I don’t think the Ally Pally is the place for that, it's not, no. I don't think Phil should go there. Phil, he's a great top player, but no, I think he's been out of the game too long.
Q: Obviously, speaking of Phil, I don't know if you heard what James Wade said at his Grand Prix presser. He dubbed himself the second-best darts player of all time. Do you agree with James Wade's ranking?
I think James Wade is a fantastic player. I always think, how has he not lifted more, and how he's never been a world champion, I don't know. Because he really is that good.
To be fair, I think it's a big call, saying he's the second-best darts player, especially when you've got MVG. You know, MVG’s trophy cabinet says it all; it speaks volumes.
So, no, to be honest, I think James is a fantastic player. I get on really well with James. I really do. I think he's one funny guy, and in a player's respect, he’s fantastic.
How he's not been world champion, I'll never know, but to say that he's the second-best in the world of darts, that's a big call. But that's just the opinions of other people, isn't it?
Q: I think it's probably safe to say from your previous comment you’d call Phil Taylor the number one. You mentioned Van Gerwen there. Is he the second-best player of all time in your eyes? If not, who is?
Well, I think Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen are totally different players. Phil's cabinet will never be beaten. His trophy cabinet will always stay the most full. I say that because the money in darts now is so big. I don't think players will be around long enough to play that amount of tournaments.
But Phil Taylor was fantastic. He is the GOAT, but I think MVG is on par because they were different players.
Where Phil was very regimented, he had his patterns on the dartboard, and he would stick to that, whereas Michael would use a lot more of the dartboard.
Michael used different numbers throughout shots and stuff, and he was fantastic at them all. And now you've got Luke Littler coming along who can do everything, so I think Luke Littler could play blindfolded and still be just as good.
So, yeah, it's just Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, who, to me, are the best two players that have lived so far, but they are now being chased by Luke Littler, who is fantastic!
Q: Following on, what are your thoughts on the use of formats that break from the traditional 501, as the Grand Prix does? Would you be interested in seeing any different style of formats coming in, like a 701 format or a last-man-standing kind of format?
It'd be interesting because it'd be difficult to know where you would put that in the calendar. I don't know where you would put it. There aren't many gaps left in the calendar now, but yeah, it's good to do something a bit different, a change.
Double-in, double-out is something that we're not used to because, you know, it's usually the 501; yes, it's straight off, and so then when you play the double-in, double-out, it's a different start to the game.
But yeah, if you're playing a different kind of game, maybe 701, like you say, or 1001, you know, it's just a different challenge. Yeah, it'd be interesting, but I wouldn't know where you'd put it in.
Q: The calendar is just full these days. You can't really find a good placement. For example, now you've just had the Grand Prix, now you're going into Europe, then in a few weeks you're going into the Worlds, like towards the tail end of the year. There's nowhere to put it.
Yeah, exactly. So the later part of the calendar is obviously stacked. But the beginning of the year, you've got the Premier League.
So it's like, where do you put more tournaments? It's a tricky one, that. Maybe you'd have to cancel one of the tournaments, and as you say, change it to something different, but I can't see that happening either.
Q: The top darts players tend to push for 100-plus averages. Do you feel like players get too obsessed with statistics and averages these days rather than just focus on getting the actual checkout?
Yes, I do, to be honest, because I think everything is based on how high, you know, how big your average is. Averages mean nothing. It's the W behind it that means, you know, you could have a 60 average and win that game.
What puts money in your bank? Is it the W or is it the pretty average? At the end of the day, it's the W.
So, it's all about you. I'm not going to lie, if you've got a 110 average next to your name, it looks good, and you've obviously played really well, but the important part is the winning.
So it doesn't matter how you do it; it's the W behind your name that you want.
But like you say, the averages do look pretty, but to me, they look at averages, and all they do is put pressure on people.
And especially like you just said, the amateur darts player is like, "Oh, I can only hit, like you just said, 40." So it's putting pressure on them straight away. You know, "I can't do it. I can't be the next Luke Littler because I can only hit a 40 average."
But when you play more darts against the better players, your averages will obviously go up because the games are going to be quicker. They're going to become better, so your averages change naturally.
So to me, I think it's a case of they look at averages too much. They're saying, "Oh, you need to be doing this," but really you don't; you just need to be there. And if you can win a scrappy game, it counts as good as a big average.
Q: You’ve said before that you think Wessel Nijman is doing fantastic and that you think he could crack into the top four sometime soon. Are there any other players you can see, like cracking the top four or five anytime soon?
I've played a lot against Wessel this year. And you watch the player in front of you, and you know what he's doing.
I can only speak about Wessel because I've played against him, and it's like, he's just got it. He's a very, very good player, you know. He doesn't make many mistakes; his game's spot on.
I think you have to do well on the floor. And then you move on, you put it onto the stage, and when you combine it all together, then you start winning big things, you know.
Wessel's definitely capable of that. There are a lot of players that are capable of doing that, but he is the one that stands out at the moment.
Wessel is the one that's proven everybody on that floor, you need to turn up to beat me. And that includes Luke Littler. He is that good. Wessel is that good, he is very good.
