Nick Kenny will make his World Cup of Darts debut alongside Jonny Clayton in Frankfurt this week, with the tournament running from 11th-14th June. Forty nations are lining up for glory, and Kenny is stepping in to fill the big shoes of Gerwyn Price, who has pulled out. Despite the pressure, Kenny is relishing the opportunity. “I can’t wait, to be honest,” he told talkSPORT. “I had a little bit of an idea that Gezzy might not be going, but when it’s on the PDC media outlets, then you know you’re definitely going. So I’m absolutely over the moon to be going and hopefully I’ll do my best.”
Kenny revealed that teammate Clayton had given him a hint that Price might not participate. “Jonny had already said that Gezzy might not be going. Something similar happened back in 2021. I think it was Simon Whitlock who was told, ‘You’re going to the World Cup, mate.’ So I asked Jonny about it and he said, ‘Well, Gezzy’s talking about not going.’ I think they talked him into going at the last minute that year. But this time around I thought, until I see my name on paper, I’m not getting my hopes up because it’s a kick in the teeth when you think you’re going and then you’re not. In the end, Gezzy pulled out and he told me that as long as Rob Owen didn’t overtake me on the Euro Tour in Austria, I’d be going.”
Kenny has minimal contact with Price but appreciated his kind words. “The only contact we’ve really had was when I asked him if he was going. He said he was 99 per cent sure he wasn’t. But he spoke well about me in some interviews before the Premier League Finals, which was nice. I’ve known him for years, from before he got his Tour Card. I don’t speak to him so much these days and I don’t sit with him on tour, but he knows I can play and he’s spoken highly of me. He knows what I’m all about, so fingers crossed I can fill his boots.”
This is not Kenny’s first time representing his country; he earned 40 caps for Wales in the WDF system starting in 2014. “My first time in the Welsh team was Jonny’s last before he got his Tour Card. Jonny and I have actually played together for Wales before, in the same 12-man team. The World Cup in 2019 was the last thing I wanted to do on the WDF side before switching over and trying again in the PDC.” However, disaster struck that week: “I broke my foot that week as well. I was leaning on the oche and I’d started doing a bit of fitness work. My foot had been giving me trouble throughout the tournament. I was playing so well and reached the semi-finals. I was in tears because I didn’t want to give it up. In the end we won the team event and got a gold medal. If I’d won that singles semi-final, we probably would have had a couple more medals as well. Then while celebrating afterwards, I planted my foot awkwardly and broke it.”
Kenny and Clayton have spent time practicing together ahead of Frankfurt. “I’ve seen him on tour and we’ve had 20-minute spells on the practice board, chatting about things. Yesterday, when the draw came out, I went over to him and said, ‘We’ve got these two,’ meaning Lithuania and Thailand. I’m probably a bit more excited than Jonny because he’s been around the block a few times. We crossed paths while he was playing last week because he made the final. He asked when I was flying out. We’re both travelling on the same day from Heathrow, but we’re on different flights. We’re not playing until Thursday night, so once we get there on Wednesday we’ll probably spend some time together.” Kenny thrives on pressure: “I’ve always done well in a Welsh shirt. This might be my only opportunity to play the World Cup, so I want to make the most of it. I don’t really feel the pressure right now. Maybe that’ll be different when I get there. I’ve got a very experienced partner, which helps. The big thing is that Gezzy isn’t there. I’m not as good as Gezzy, but I’m no mug either. I can play the game. The fans are understandably disappointed because Wales’ best player isn’t going, but the next man in line steps in and thankfully that’s me this time. Hopefully I can thrive on it. The first game is the important one. Get over that and then see where it takes us.”
