Joshua Rock and Daryl Gurney of Northern Ireland win the World Cup of Darts
Gurney and Rock defeated Wales 10-9 in Frankfurt in a thrilling final on Sunday night, with ‘Superchin’ hitting a double eight under enormous pressure to secure Northern Ireland’s first team world title.
In the previous set, Gurney had three darts to hit a double five, only to fall short. He put things right in the decisive leg, hitting 180 on route to victory.
Gurney’s dramatic eight sparked wild celebrations after a dramatic day of darts that saw Northern Ireland defeat the Republic of Ireland 8-5 in the Quarter-Finals and host nation 8-1 in the Semi-Finals.
The Derry man said: “Josh’s power scoring was incredible. All I had to do was finish up
“I might get a fine for this…but whenever I was going for that double five, a wee bit of pooh came flying out.
“But I was never going to miss double eight. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
“I have never been so proud of this man and myself. I put this in higher regard than I did winning an individual event.
“This is incredible. I think I will have a sore head in the morning.”
Ballymena’s Josh Rock could not hide his emotion, as the strains of Sweet Caroline rang round the packed Frankfurt arena. He produced an incredible performance in the Final, hitting a string of maximums.
He told Sky Sports: “If you told me the first time that Daryl and I played together that we’d win a World Cup together, I’m not sure I would have believed you.
“I don’t think many people expected us to win the World Cup. But we did it.”
Rock, ranked 17th in the world, is optimistic that success in the World Cup will supercharge his individual career.
He explained: “When it went to the final leg, I said to myself I have to hit a 180 here. I didn’t have because, Daryl did it. He was fantastic. Absolutely incredible.
“It’s a catalyst for us both. I believe one of us will win a major this year, because the experience of winning this tournament on the big stage in front of the Sky Sports cameras can only help us.
“It’s a privilege to represent your country. To make history and to win a World Cup for Northern Ireland is unreal. There will always be a star on our shirt from now on. I’m so proud of that.”
Gurney was keen to congratulate the Welsh pair of Gerwyn Price and Johnny Clayton, who pushed Northern Ireland all the way. They defeated the Netherlands 8-5 in their Semi-Final, after trailing 4-2 at one stage.
He said: “I would like to say congratulations Gerwyn and Johnny. They’re standing here applauding us when many other teams would have left the stage. That shows their class.
“They are two brilliant performers who did their country proud tonight, and could have easily won this.”
The winning pair, playing together for the first time, picked up a cheque for £80,000.
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