Jonny Clayton battles gout pain barrier to win night six of Premier League darts

The Welshman made light of the debilitating inflammatory arthritis condition as he won night six of the event in Nottingham.

The 51-year-old could barely walk as he limped around the stage after he suffered a bout in his ankle, but there was nothing wrong with his arm as he powered past Michael van Gerwen, Stephen Bunting and Luke Humphries to claim a second nightly win and top the table by eight points.

It is a regular problem for Clayton, who takes daily medication, but he never knows how it will be from one day to the next.

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"I do get flare-ups, so obviously I take medication every day," he said.

"Funnily enough, it was in my elbow in my first year in the Premier League. So it’s moved now to my ankle.

"But I have to carry on. I don’t want to miss these nights.

"You just take your medication. I could go back to bed tonight, wake up tomorrow as if there’s nothing there. It is weird, proper weird.

"When it comes on, it gives you a warning and if you don’t catch it in time, then you know all about it. And obviously I know all about it now."

Humphries was denied his first nightly win of the year, but did at least end his hoodoo against great rival Luke Littler in the semi-final.

Humphries had lost his last five games against the teenager going back to last May, but beat him in a last-leg decider.

Littler had entered the arena for the last-four clash by reminding the locals of Nottingham Forest’s losing score in their Europa League tie a mile up the road at the City Ground.

But, like Vitor Pereira’s team, Littler’s night ended in defeat. Littler had earlier won the match of the night as he beat Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals.

It was a high-quality encounter where both men peppered the treble 20 bed but the teenager continued his dominance over Price, claiming an 11th win in their last 12 meetings by winning a last-leg decider.

Josh Rock’s miserable debut campaign continued as he was hammered 6-1 by fellow struggler Bunting, meaning he has lost all six of his matches.

Clayton, nicknamed ‘the Ferret’, said on Thursday night there was "no chance" he would be able to play the European Tour event in Germany and later officially pulled out.