Jonny Clayton And Gerwyn Price Are Out To Nuke The Lukes!

Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton celebrate their World Cup triumph in 2023. Pic: Alamy

It is two years since Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton put Wales on top of the darts world for the second time and now they are chasing a hat-trick, as David Parsons reports.

Jonny Clayton is brimming with belief as he and Gerwyn Price prepare to lead Wales into the 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts,.

Clayton, “The Ferrett” and “Ice Man” Price are determined to pull the rug from the England hype and claim their third title.

The Welsh pair, already victorious in 2020 and 2023, will start their campaign in Saturday’s second round in Frankfurt – part of an elite quartet of top-seeded nations alongside England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

With 40 countries competing over four days at the Eissporthalle, this year’s event will feature a round-robin format followed by a straight knockout, with every tie played as a doubles match.

Outside of Wales, all eyes are on England’s dynamic new duo of world number one Luke Humphries and teenage star Luke Littler, who are tipped to add to the nation’s record five World Cup titles.

Still, Clayton is unfazed reckons it will be no fluke if they take down Double Luke.

“All the talk is about the two Lukes, but I'm sure me and Gez can do something about that,” he told BBC Sport.

“Gezzy is a great front runner and I think I'm a pretty good number two, so we click as a team.

Hopefully we will do some damage this year. If we can lift that trophy for a third time it'd be great.”

The 49-year-old has rediscovered his form in recent months, notably defeating Humphries en route to winning the Dutch Darts Championship in May.

With Price also faring well in the Premier League, the Welsh camp is full of quiet confidence.

“We’re there to try and win the trophy. We’ve done it twice before and we believe we can do it again,” declared Clayton.

“I don’t care that Luke and Luke are world number one and the world number two. Us Welsh boys are going to stop them!

“If you want to win trophies you’ve got to beat big names and top players, so we’re ready to go.

“Representing your country – whatever the sport – is a fantastic feeling. It’s just special.”

While Price agrees England deserve the favourite tag, he warned of the strength across the field.

"There's no reason why they're not favourites," said Price.

"But there's a lot of good teams that are going to be there.

Anybody can win it but they're definitely favourites."

Clayton credits their chemistry and shared sporting roots for their success.

“We go out as a team, and I think the rugby background helps,” said Clayton.

“We've played in team games before, and I know rugby is completely different to darts, but it is the team mentality.

“We believe in each other and you have to believe in your team-mate.”

And for Clayton, the honour of wearing the red jersey remains unmatched.

“There's no better feeling than representing Wales,” he added.

“Being a Welshman, I'm so proud when I put that jersey on.

No matter what sport you play, if you can represent your country there is no better feeling.”

Wales will join the tournament in the last 16 on Saturday, after the group stage concludes Friday night.

Twelve group winners will advance from the opening phase, where 36 other nations battle it out in pools of three.

The tournament climaxes on Sunday with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all played across two sessions – and from the second round onward, every match will be a best-of-15 leg contest, increasing to 19 legs in the final.

Meanwhile, England’s Humphries and Littler are eager to prove why they’re the team to beat.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” said Humphries.

“I know there’s going to be a lot of pressure on us, but we’re really good friends, and if we connect, then we stand a great chance of winning this title.

We believe we can win it, and if we perform at our best, it’s going to take something special to stop us!”

Elsewhere, Scotland reunite veterans Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, Northern Ireland feature a revamped duo of Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney, and the Netherlands launch their bid from the group stage for the first time in the current format.