Daryl Gurney banished his prior European Tour woes with a fine showing at the Austrian Darts Open in Graz, taking down Ian White 6-3 in a very respectable performance. Averaging over 97 and pinning 67% of his doubles, Gurney sailed into a 5-1 lead with a 102 checkout the pick of the bunch, topped by a fabulous 157 outshot to culminate events in majestic circumstances.
“Ian is such a great competitor and he never, ever gives up. I played him earlier this year in Wieze and beat him 6–1, but I took out a really crucial finish in that match — I think it was a 118 on double 19 — which made the game look easier than it actually was,” Gurney told Dartsnews. “Even though the result was 6–1, I knew tonight was always going to be much closer. When I went 5–1 up, I looked over and thought, 'Right, don’t let him off the hook.' But he played himself back into it. When I stepped up for that 157 finish, I told myself: “Whatever you do, don’t rush double top. Just throw it nicely.” And thankfully it went in. I’m just grateful to get a win after the last few European Tour events, where I haven’t won any money. I put myself under a lot of pressure in that game, but thankfully I came through.”
Reflecting on his current form, Gurney admitted frustration at his inconsistency. “It’s frustrating because I feel like I’m one really good TV semi-final run away from breaking into the top 20. The reason I say that is because at the World Championship I’m always playing around December 23rd, which means I’ve got to get home for Christmas and it becomes a struggle. I frustrate myself because I wish I was more consistent and performed better on the European Tour. Clearly I’m qualifying for events like the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix, but if I could get to the latter stages more often, it would boost my ranking and push me closer to the top 20. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about qualifiers for things like the World Masters. I think about stupid things like that all the time. I really do feel like I’m one good run away, but I keep missing darts here and there — and that’s why I stay stuck between 23rd and 25th in the rankings.”
Gurney also addressed his bizarre defeat in Sindelfingen at the European Darts Grand Prix, where he averaged just 77.8 and came back from 5-1 down against Oskar Lukasiak before losing in a final-leg decider. “Honestly, to this day I still don’t know what happened in Sindelfingen. Maybe somebody put something in my drink the night before,” he joked. “I genuinely felt focused, but I just dismissed it afterwards because I got so frustrated with myself. The only positive was that I came back from 5–1 down to make it 5–5 and at least turned it into a match. But I was nowhere near my best and I deserved to lose. Oscar Lukasiak deserved that win. And with everything Oscar has gone through with dartitis and stuff like that, I was genuinely happy for him. So I’m glad to bounce back tonight. Ian White is a PDC legend and he’ll never give you an inch. Even at 5–1 up, I knew I hadn’t won anything yet.”
Looking ahead, Gurney is excited about defending the World Cup of Darts title with Josh Rock, which they won last year in Frankfurt. “I’m really looking forward to it. I honestly can’t wait for the Premier League to finish because Josh has had a tough time mentally knowing he can’t make the play-offs now. Once the Premier League is over, I think he’ll feel better. We’re both excited for the World Cup and can’t wait to get our shirts with the gold star on them. That’s going to be a proud moment for both of us. Hopefully Josh comes through his game tonight and then we’ll give each other a good kick up the backside before the World Cup starts again.” He recalled their winning strategy: “Honestly, last year we prepared the night before. We were in the practice room with Luke Littler, his dad, and José, and Josh started talking tactics with me. I just looked at him and said: 'Josh, you smash the life out of that treble and whatever you leave me, I’ll finish.' That was basically our strategy — and I think it’s why we won the World Cup. So no real tactics this year either. If Josh has his scoring boots on and I’ve got my finishing boots on, we’ll be hard to beat. But last year we came in as underdogs and maybe people didn’t take us seriously. This year they definitely will, so it’s going to be even tougher.”
