Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton win second World Cup of Darts title for Wales
Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton sealed a second World Cup of Darts trophy for Wales with a clinical performance in their 10-2 victory over Scotland’s Gary Anderson and Peter Wright in Frankfurt.
The 2020 champions had beaten Belgium in a nervy 8-7 thriller to reach the title decider against the Scots, who had eliminated German hosts Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler to set up the all-British final.
Price and Clayton quickly cruised to a 3-0 lead before Wright took out 93 to hold and secure the Scots’ first winning leg.
Victories in five successive legs for Price and Clayton, however, gave the Scottish duo a mountain to climb but they clawed back another leg win through Anderson’s 12-darter to make it 8-2.
🏴 𝗖𝗬𝗠𝗥𝗨 𝗥𝗨𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 🏆
Gerwyn & Jonny demolish Team Scotland 10-2 to win the 2023 World Cup of Darts!
A truly sensational performance in the Final by both to clinch Cymru’s 2nd World Cup crown! ⭐️ ⭐️
What a pair. What a partnership. You little beauties! pic.twitter.com/ebiOp8mOJQ
— Darts Cymru (@DartsCymru) June 18, 2023
That was the end of the celebrations for ‘The Flying Scotsman’ Anderson and PDC world number two ‘Snakebite’ Wright, however, as Wales soon found themselves one away thanks to Clayton equalling his match-highest 116 checkout in the 11th.
Price was off-target in the 12th, missing three darts at double 18 before Clayton stepped up to seal the result.
The Iceman Price credited his team-mate for the win, telling Sky Sports: “Honestly I think I struggled a little bit in that game. Jonny was the one to pick our trophy up. He won it for us tonight.
“He was fantastic at scoring, checking out. I was there in between but he was clinical. Fair play to Jonny. What a player, absolute gentleman as well.
For the second time… 🏴🏆 pic.twitter.com/WWnhtKEv7W
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 18, 2023
“It’s a difficult sport against the best players in the world week-in and week-out and to win by that margin is a little bit flattering. We’re thrilled to win and Jonny carried me tonight, so happy days.”
The Scots were still in good spirits as Anderson lavished praise on his opponents, though joked he might not feel so festive come the end of the year.
He said: “The Welsh have got a cracking darts team. We tried, and we’re not getting any younger bit we’ll still try.
“You’ve got Gerwyn, what he’s done in darts over the last few years and you’ve got the Ferret (Clayton) – I ain’t sending him no Christmas card this year.”
The final was a much smoother affair for the 2023 champions than their semi-final, which saw them narrowly evade a Belgian comeback.
Dimitri van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts had already ensured there would be a new winner in the revamped tournament after ousting defending champions Australia to reach the last eight.
A truly special moment for the Germans 🇩🇪
Can they go all the way in Frankfurt? pic.twitter.com/BB740uD7q4
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 18, 2023
Price and Clayton, who lost to the Aussies in last year’s final, looked to have put the contest in cruise control when they were two legs from advancing at 6-3 but the Belgians rallied to force a deciding leg.
Scotland, meanwhile, dashed Clemens and Schindler’s dreams of reaching a fairy-tale final in front of the home support after the Germans had shocked England’s top-seeded Rob Cross and Michael Smith to advance with an 8-3 victory in the quarter-final.
Clemens and Schindler won three successive legs to make it 7-2 and it ultimately proved too significant a deficit for Cross and Smith to overcome.