Gerwyn Price has moved to clarify the rumours surrounding his withdrawal from the World Cup of Darts, insisting that his decision to make himself unavailable for selection was not due to health issues. The Welsh star took to his Instagram Stories to push back against the narrative, posting: "Just to clarify, I have NOT withdrawn from the World Cup because of health reasons."
Price was the big name absentee from the line-up for the World Cup of Darts, which is due to take place from June 11-14. As a result, Nick Kenny gets a big opportunity to partner Jonny Clayton, who will be team captain. Price had previously confirmed earlier in the week that he was going through health issues and was waiting on hospital results. After his loss in the Premier League, he wrote on Instagram: "No good playing once a week and hopefully I get the results I want in 3 weeks time," alongside a hospital emoji.
Kenny, ranked 60th, is next in line for the Welsh team. Robert Owen, ranked 64th, would have been next up, but the selection follows a different order this year. In previous years, Jim Williams was a strong understudy, though they lost in the second round to Croatia. Price also had to pull out that year, and Clayton has struggled when not partnered with his regular partner, whom he sees as the lynchpin of the pairing, despite Clayton being ranked higher this year.
Price had spoken earlier this year about playing in the World Cup of Darts, but with him waiting to find out results and not wanting to risk it, he decided to sit this year out. Whether or not the real reason behind Price withdrawing from international duty is revealed in coming weeks remains to be seen. For now, the Welsh team will have to plow forward and prepare with Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny as their pairing.
