UNIBET PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS: Daryl Gurney fails to find form on Belfast stage

It was a disappointing Thursday night at the SSE Arena, Belfast, for Daryl Gurney as he lost 8-4 to former world champion Rob Cross in the Unibet Premier League.
Rob Cross with Daryl Gurney during the Unibet Premier League Darts at the SSE Arena, BelfastRob Cross with Daryl Gurney during the Unibet Premier League Darts at the SSE Arena, Belfast
Rob Cross with Daryl Gurney during the Unibet Premier League Darts at the SSE Arena, Belfast

Gurney came into the match on the crest of a wave after three consecutive wins and claiming a European title last weekend but Voltage produced a 104.71 average to go top of the as Michael van Gerwen drew with Gerwyn Price.

Gurney admitted he just couldn’t get into the game.

“I don’t know why, I was looking forward to the match,” said Gurney.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Practicing was going half decent, when I got up there, I couldn’t find the treble, whenever you’re not finding the treble against Rob Cross, you’re going to get hammered.

“That’s what happened, there was a couple of chances, because the crowd got on his back but yeah, it’s devastating to get beaten in Belfast, but it’s one of those things that I don’t know what happened.

“I prepared right, everything was going right and I went up there and I couldn’t get into the treble 20, if you’re not hitting the treble 20s, you’re not going to get a shot at a double and that’s what happened.”

Gurney didn’t feel playing in front of the home crowd affected him.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I put myself under the same pressure every week anyway so it’s nothing to do with the crowd or anything like that but hopefully I haven’t put a dampener on their night.”

“As I say practice went well but I wasn’t good enough tonight for some strange reason and Rob was, fair play to him, I probably needed him to miss a few darts at double but it wasn’t going to happen.”

when he had three in his hand.

“I really can’t complain, the last few weeks in the Premier League and the Euro Tour, Pro Tour, I’ve done well, so at some stage it has to come to an end and it did come to an end.”

“ It wasn’t that bad t the end, the last couple of legs, I was throwing better than him, but I felt like I was playing better then than at the start of the match and if I started off that way, I could have been a lot closer.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I was 7-4 down, I just thought to myself, ‘just hold throw put pressure on his, and you never know, you might get a draw but it wasn’t to be, Rob hit a great 180 to leave 32 after 212, I think I was on 128, I set up a double but yeah, he was clinical like he has been all through the year.”

Gurney slipped to fifth in the table and faces a huge game next week in Liverpool against James Wade who is a place above him on legs different.

“If somebody goes to you it is not a big game this week in the Premier League somebody doesn’t have a clue what they are talking about, every game is a big game in the premier league should it be against who is every sitting eighth or second, I’ll be ready for next week, I won a couple more legs against Rob that what I did last time I played him because it was 7-1, it’s James next week so I just have to beat him to nil and I’m onto a winner.”