Johnny Clayton Targets £350,000 Prize After Top-Four Surge
johnny clayton reaches Premier League finals night again with the £350,000 top prize on the line at The O2 in London on Thursday night. He and Gerwyn Price are trying to set up an all-Welsh final after Clayton finished second in the league phase and kept his 100% record of reaching finals night.
Clayton Faces Luke Humphries
Clayton’s route starts with Luke Humphries in the semi-finals, while Price faces Luke Littler in the other last-four match. The same two Welshmen will feature on the same finals night for the second time, and Clayton wants it to end with both of them still standing.
“It would be great to have an all-Welsh final. We're Welsh and proud,” he said. “We've got two very hard Englishmen to beat if we're going to have that final.”
Bookmakers Backed Against Clayton
Before the 2026 Premier League, Clayton was the bookmakers’ least-fancied player to win the competition. He said, “I was gutted to hear that,” after hearing where he was placed in early February.
“Being world number five, having not won any big majors to get me up there, so I'm pretty consistent, and then they reckon I'd finish bottom,” he said. “Obviously they weren't drinking the same tea as I was drinking.”
That pre-season view has already been overturned by results. Clayton won the Premier League on debut in 2021, missed the competition last year, and then finished second in the league phase this season to put himself back among the four players left with a shot at the trophy.
Price Joins The Final Push
Price’s presence keeps the Welsh interest alive on the same stage, and Clayton has already spoken like someone who sees a chance to close the argument in one night. “But to be fair, I've put a lot of people quiet,” he said.
He added: “I think being out of the Premier League last year, that really hurt when I should have been in. But I've proved my point, I'm back in the top four. Look out. Hopefully I can win tomorrow.”
The equation is simple at The O2: win the semi-final, reach the final, and put the £350,000 prize within reach. Clayton has already forced the bookmakers’ prediction into the background; Thursday night gives him a direct chance to finish the job against Humphries and keep the all-Welsh showdown alive.
