Feats of Clay down to his job..

JONNY CLAYTON is the gypsum king who left school to become a plasterer at 16 – and he can’t bring himself to throw in the trowel.

The ‘Ferret’, 47, still works part-time for Carmarthenshire county council, despite winning four major titles in 2021 and banking £405,000 in prize money.

Clayton (above) won the Masters, Premier League, World Grand Prix and World Series finals to make him one of the favourites at 7-1 to win the William Hill PDC World Championship.

But he simply cannot bring himself to give up the day job, in case he falls out of love with darts and has nothing to fall back on.

Clayton said: “I came out of school at 16, had an apprenticeship as a plasterer straightaway, and I’ve never been out of work.

“I enjoy going to work, it’s the banter with the guys, it takes your mind completely off darts... and that’s the secret.

“I’m afraid to take that step of one minute it’s eight hours a day and banter, and then nothing. I don’t think it would benefit me doing nothing. If the formula works, I don’t want to change things.

“Phil Taylor used to say he practised eight hours a day. I can promise you I will not practise eight hours a day.

“I do have a dartboard at home, but the kids throw at it more than me!

“Is it right or is it wrong? I don’t know, but that is me. I can go up there sometimes for three hours and really enjoy it.

“But other times I can go up there, throw and think, ‘I have had enough.’

“I will do 10 minutes of darts and that’s all.

“It’s just me. I am a weird one, I think.

“I genuinely don’t know what I will do with my job. I am also afraid I will fall out of love with the game.”