JONNY CLAYTON lost all interest in darts when his “hero” dad died two years ago.
Life will never be the same for the Ferret, a proud family man, but gradually, he is starting to rediscover his love for the sport.
And the No5 World Darts Championship seed will be looking to break his quarter-final glass ceiling which has blocked him in the past.
The 51-year-old Llanelli lad – who takes on Englishman Adam Lipscombe on Monday night – has been grieving since his father John passed away in July 2023.
Clayton, a father of two, said: “I’d lost all interest in darts, big time. I ain’t going to lie about it. I just didn’t want to play the game.
“I’ve lost my hero. My dad is gone. He loved his darts.
“When my dad passed, it was like I didn’t want to play the sport. I just didn’t want to do it.
“I didn’t really care if I won or lost, which is a silly thing to say now. But in that moment, I just didn’t care.
“I didn’t want to be there. I couldn’t think of anything worse than jumping in a car and going to a darts tournament and that’s my honest truth.
“So, at the end of that year, it was kind of like, come on, let’s try and put things back together and I won a few games.
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“The smile came back on my face and I wanted to play again. I don’t know why the switch was turned there, but it was like I wanted this again.
“It’s a lot of hard work, it’s a lot of, you know, blood, sweat and tears, as they say. You get good games, bad games, but this year’s been pretty good for me.
“So, I’ve got to get back on it, try and do what you do good. I’ve got two kids and a wife that’s supported me all the way on this.
“You have to look at life, you have to look at money, because it’s my job obviously. I thought to myself, I’m actually quite good at this.
“I think I’m playing darts more for him than for me because I find it as a hobby. It is a good thing that I don’t think ‘darts, darts, darts’ all the time.”
Clayton – a former plasterer before he turned to darts full-time – is not afraid to say that the record £1million winners’ cheque is a huge incentive and the real motivation behind his Christmas bid.
The Welshman, a former Premier League champion, said: “Well, you know, a trophy on a shelf ain’t going to pay my bills, is it? It’s going to collect dust.
“It’s the money that goes into your bank that pays bills. I’ve been at work, from eight in the morning until four every day, plastering, and I’m now doing this.
“And this is a little bit easier than being on site playing about with cement!
“You have to look at it and be realistic. Not many people get this chance and I’m lucky enough to be one that makes a good living out of it. The money is the important part, 100 per cent.
“The thing is as well, the sponsors on the shirt. I don’t like letting people down.
“They have trust in me and I’m going to try and pay them back by trying my hardest. If I fail by trying my hardest, well, there’s nothing else I can do.
“If it’s not my day, it’s not my day. But I know that I’m good enough. I’m at world number five, so I must be doing something right.”
