Jonny Clayton felt whistling from the Aberdeen crowd overshadowed his victory on night 11 of the Premier League Darts at P&J Live.
The Ferret pin-pointed the last two legs of the final against Michael van Gerwen in particular, where noticeable whistles were heard as both players were throwing.
Clayton had been on the receiving end of boos earlier in the evening against both Scottish players Peter Wright and Gary Anderson but said he expected a level of “banter”.
But after his 6-5 win against van Gerwen, he felt some of the antics in the closing stages of the game crossed the line.
“It was a bit weird to be honest,” said Clayton. “When it’s all the same booing, the same tone, it’s a bit of banter. But in the end it was terrible.
“They pay silly money to come in and pay whatever – don’t they want to see the best darts they can possibly throw?
“I don’t understand it. The whistling was ridiculous at the end. Something needs to be done but what can you do? You can tell someone to be quiet but they’ll only get worse.
“Everybody’s got favourites. It was the same when I played Peter in Cardiff, he beat me and had the same reception. But there’s banter and then a little bit more.
“It’s great for the players to have crowds back in. That’s what we want. Without the crowd you’re not going to have the atmosphere in darts. But that last couple of legs spoiled it for me.
“It wasn’t a very easy night. Gary first then Peter – two Scottish guys – and then against Michael van Gerwen at the end. But I’ve done my job.
“It’s fantastic to win and be top of the table. That’s what we aim for, the eight of us. To get that third win is handy and I’m really happy.”
In the battle of the top two, van Gerwen was landing the bigger blows before Clayton rallied himself back into the game.
The Green Machine finished 94 with a superb double-double on the 19s and was the new home favourite, with both Scottish players eliminated.
But Clayton laughed off the pantomime boos from the Granite City crowd to level the game at four-apiece.
With both players averaging over 100, it was only fair the tie went to an 11th leg and Clayton added to his wins in Birmingham and Liverpool to go top of the table.
Wright and Clayton were engaged in a ding-dong battle in the semi-final, with the Scot leading 4-2 before two missed darts at double-six allowing Clayton to win three legs on the spin.
Livingston-born Wright bagged a pressure double-14 to take it to a decider, but defending champion Clayton held his nerve to emerge victorious 6-5.
Van Gerwen held James Wade at arms’ length during their semi-final, taking out 90 on the bullseye to book his place in the main event with a 6-3 victory.
In the quarter-finals at the start of the night, Clayton silenced the home crowd with an efficient performance to see off a below-par Gary Anderson 6-2.
“I struggled to get going,” said Anderson. “I had a good leg with the 12-darter and started to get into the game, but it was a frustrating night. Jonny played well, particularly at the end, and I’ve no complaints.
“The crowd was fantastic and I wanted to give them something to cheer, but it wasn’t to be.
“I’ve got to get ready for next week in Dublin now and then I’ll be looking forward to being back in Scotland in Glasgow in a fortnight.”
Wright was 4-2 down to Joe Cullen in the quarters, after missing two darts at double-15. However, the reigning world champion won the next three legs in 14, 14 and 13 darts to sneak into the lead.
Cullen took the 10th leg to take it to a decider, but Wright pinned double-16 to win 6-5.
🏴 SNAKEBITE SNATCHES IT! 🐍
Peter Wright raises the roof here in Aberdeen, completing a thrilling 6-5 victory over Joe Cullen and just listen to the noise! 😍
📺 Up next 👉 James Wade v Michael Smith#CazooPL pic.twitter.com/i1KnEnNhOx
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 21, 2022
Wade triumphed 6-5 over Michael Smith and van Gerwen averaged just under 107 in a highly-impressive 6-3 win over Gerwyn Price.
