Six months on, Daryl Gurney is still waiting to properly celebrate winning the World Cup. Gurney and Josh Rock produced one of the highlights of the darts year as they teamed up to take Northern Ireland to glory at a gloriously unpredictable tournament in Frankfurt.
It was the country’s first PDC World Cup triumph and was followed by emotional scenes, with both men shedding tears of joy. You would have expected such a triumph to be followed by a stein or three in the German city. However, the celebrations were about as riotous as a wet Tuesday in Wigan. “We still haven’t celebrated,” admitted Superchin ahead of the World Championship. “We’ve been that busy. We did the [victory] interviews and went back to our room. We didn’t do much for 20 minutes, then we went back downstairs and literally, on a Sunday night in Germany, everywhere was closed!
“We just ended up chatting for an hour and a half. We were just chilled. There wasn’t much going on, so there’s been no celebration as of yet. The way the rest of this year’s going, we may have to leave the celebration until next year. There’s just no time.”
Gurney says skipping the odd exhibition isn’t an option to free up dates for a shindig. Not only are they lucrative for players, but they also provide some light relief away from the relentless pressure of the PDC Tour.
“When we do get a couple of days to ourselves, we’re doing the exhibitions,” he says. “Exhibitions are a lovely way of playing darts under no pressure. You can just go out there and enjoy yourself.
“We don’t always look the happiest people [at competitive tournaments] because we’re concentrating so hard. But when we come to an exhibition, we can mess about and have fun and be our real selves.”
Despite not having toasted it yet, Gurney puts winning the World Cup above his two major singles titles, the World Grand Prix in 2017 and the Players Championship Finals the following year.
“The World Cup was brilliant,” he says. “It’s been a long time since I won an individual title, so that’s why I’d put it above an individual one.
“It’s eight and seven years ago since I won those TV tournaments. So, because it’s fresh and because the standard has got better every single year in the PDC [it made it extra special]. It’s getting harder and harder. I was glad to win it with Josh, one of my best friends, and glad we did it for the country.”
Darts has come a long way since Gurney joined the PDC Tour 13 years ago, with both the standard and prize money soaring to previously unthinkable levels. Plenty of players have come and gone since then. The 39-year-old credits his work-like approach to his longevity.
“The strength in depth is incredible,” he says. “When I first joined the PDC, you’d be lucky if you had 20 professionals. The reason I’ve got on so well is because I treat darts like a job. If you’re a normal 9-5 person, you’ve got to get up and do it. That’s how I look at it, I treat it like a 9-5 job.
“I don’t miss many tournaments. I missed some this year because I went on two holidays. Until January 2024, I’d not been on a holiday in 15 years. It was well needed! I’m still motivated. It’s just when you play your best and still get beaten that your confidence takes a hit. You can average 95 and get beaten 10-1 in the PDC!
“That can make you doubt yourself and put the pressure on. That’s when you need to keep your confidence up and stay dedicated to practice.”
Despite the ballooning prize money, Gurney insists he still isn’t motivated by financial gain, saying: “I’ve never looked at the money. Don’t get me wrong, whoever’s in the final – and I hope I am – it’ll be hard to avoid that question about the million pounds. But until you reach the final, you don’t think about it.”
