Daryl Gurney out to prove critics wrong at PDC World Darts Championships

DARYL Gurney dismissed talk of a crisis of confidence ahead of his World Darts Championships opener at the Alexandra Palace today, insisting he's got what it takes to go all the way.
Daryl Gurney begins his World Darts Championship campaign this afternoon at the Alexandra Palace.Daryl Gurney begins his World Darts Championship campaign this afternoon at the Alexandra Palace.
Daryl Gurney begins his World Darts Championship campaign this afternoon at the Alexandra Palace.

The Derry thrower dreams of lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time on January 1st despite his inconsistent form in 2020.

The so-called experts have tipped No. 11 seed Gurney to be among the first high profile names to fall at the second round and while 'Superchin' admits he's feeling pressure to perform, he knows he's capable of beating anyone on his day.

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Two-time major winner, Gurney hopes to prove the doubters wrong and believes the extra pressure will either see him crack or potentially spur him on to glory.

"We'll wait until I get on the TV," he said. "My confidence has taken a battering but I'm practising well and not producing. I'm my own worst critic and for me it's disappointing putting in the hard work and not producing when it matters.

"However, I don't pay attention to the experts," he said. "They may know their stuff but they're looking at stats from a piece of paper. They're not looking at anything else.

"It doesn't really worry me. If I go up there and feel good, I'll win. If practice hasn't gone well or I'm struggling I'll get beat. It's as simple as that so it just depends really on the night.

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"The form going into the tournament definitely matters. The last few months haven't been great really but at the start of this year I was playing well and got to the semi-final of the UK Open.

"You're always extra nervous for the Worlds because you want to win so much," added the Tullyally man.

"Every player that plays in the competition, it's their dream to win it so you put yourself under the most pressure to perform.

"Sometimes that cracks us and sometimes it helps us so hopefully that spurs me on this year."

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Gurney enters the fray in round two and will be in action this afternoon against Limerick's Willie O'Connor who recorded a routine 3-0 win over Dutch ace Niels Zonneveld yesterday.

He expects a tough clash but is confident is he can reproduce the form he's shown on the practice board up on the big stage at the Ally Pally, he can progress in the tournament.

"I know Willie really well and I expected him to come through the first round given his experience and the way he's been playing.

"I'm just concentrating on myself. If I go up and get my preparation right and start playing well I'll be hard to beat and I'm a match for anybody.

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"I could beat anybody on match day so it's more about getting my preparation right and not worrying about who I'm playing.

"I've put in even more practice now and feel more comfortable so hopefully I can take that from the practice board onto the main stage and show the ex-professionals that I've still got it and can beat anybody.

"I'm going there to try and win - I'm certainly not going there to make up the numbers.The dream is to be here on January 1st so as long as I go out and play well enough I still believe I can do it. That would be so special.

"I know I have the game and the experience to do it. All the other top players know what I am capable of. Now it's down to me."

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His best World Championship performance so far was in 2017 when he progressed to the quarter-finals and he's aiming beyond that if things begin to click at the oche.

"The way I'm practising at the minute it's the best I've ever been. So if I can just take my practice game onto the main stage I'll be hard to beat and I'll definitely match that (quarter-final) and possibly go further.

"You just never know. The standard is that high nowadays and it depends how the night goes. You could play someone who just absolutely hits everything and you still get beat or else you can go up there and not play great and still win.

"So it kind of depends on the opponent too and everyone's game and every player, we always just need that wee bit of luck in a game. Hopefully I can get a bit of luck going through the first game and take it from there.

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"I've been practising really well, hitting a few nine darters this week so the form is going well I just have to make sure I don't over practice before I play and make sure I've enough energy and focus to okay the game rather than burning myself out in practice before I go on the stage."

The famous Ally Pally just won't be the same the year as the usual high-octane party atmosphere will be missing when London enters tier three of Covid-19 restrictions.

Gurney has missed the fan interaction at empty darts halls around the circuit this year and he believes it's taken away something from his game.

"Obviously Covid hit then and there was no crowd. I prefer it with a crowd and now that's been taken away from us again at the Worlds.

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"It's definitely going to be weird without the crowd. It's the best venue, the best atmosphere you can play in if you play darts. That's what makes the World Championships even better.

"Whenever you come here it's far far better than any other tournament you play in. A lot of people like Blackpool and there's less people there.

"The atmosphere at the Ally Pally is incredible when there's fans and for me it's the best venue to play darts in."

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