logo
Gerwyn Price involved in heated exchange with Daryl Gurney at World Matchplay

Gerwyn Price involved in heated exchange with Daryl Gurney at World Matchplay

The pair shared a robust handshake after Price closed out the win on double 12 before Gurney appeared to take issue with his rival's celebrations on stage.
Gurney had fallen 6-2 behind but gave himself hope by winning the ninth leg and celebrated by mimicking Price's trademark fist-pumping.
It's all getting a bit heated on stage 👀
Gerwyn Price beats Daryl Gurney after a thrilling contest ‼️ pic.twitter.com/uEaTKrmf3d
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) July 21, 2025
The Northern Irishman moved within one dart of levelling the match at 8-8 before Price, the 2022 finalist, held his nerve to pull away and seal victory.
Gurney's compatriot Josh Rock – with whom he won the World Cup of Darts last month – fared better as he blazed to a 10-5 win over 14th seed Ross Smith.
Rock reeled off the first five legs without giving his opponent sight of a double, and the 24-year-old finished off with a 104 average to gain revenge for last year's first round loss to the same player.
Rock will next face Michael van Gerwen, who was far from his best as he completed a gruelling 10-6 win over his veteran Dutch rival Raymond van Barneveld.
Van Gerwen, a three-time winner, capitalised on a series of missed chances by his opponent and conceded he took little satisfaction from his performance.
'I made it so difficult for myself and when you make it difficult it's a hard game,' Van Gerwen told Sky Sports.
'From the position I'm coming from, I didn't play a lot of tournaments, and that makes it hard. We all know I'm a winner, I hate losing, and I think it's the start of something nice.'
In the opening match of the third day of the tournament, sixth seed Chris Dobey pulled away to complete a 10-5 win over Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

£48m star asks to be left out of match after agreeing transfer deal with Chelsea
£48m star asks to be left out of match after agreeing transfer deal with Chelsea

Metro

time4 hours ago

  • Metro

£48m star asks to be left out of match after agreeing transfer deal with Chelsea

Jorrel Hato asked to be left out of Ajax's squad to face Como 1907 this weekend after agreeing personal terms with Chelsea, according to reports in the Netherlands. Chelsea have splashed the cash across another busy transfer window, sealing deals for Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr for a combined fee of around £190million. Despite already strengthening at the back with the addition of Sarr from Strasbourg, the Blues have set their sights on making Hato, 19, their next signing and talks with the full-back's camp have been advancing at a pace in recent days. Hato, who is comfortable operating at both left-back and centre-back, has welcomed the interest from Chelsea and the versatile Dutchman is said to be actively pushing to force through a transfer to Stamford Bridge. But while Hato has informed Ajax that he wants to leave, the Eredivisie outfit rejected Chelsea's opening bid and sent a counter offer back to west London for the teenager. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. With talks ongoing, Algemeen Dagblad report that Hato told Ajax head coach John Heitinga that he would 'rather not play' in the side's Como Cup final defeat to Como on Sunday. It's claimed this is 'entirely related' to his potential move to Chelsea, though 'that doesn't say anything about the status of negotiations, which are currently difficult'. Hato was also absent for Ajax's semi-final win over Celtic earlier in the week. However, Heitinga insisted this was because the defender was yet to gain full match fitness having only recently returned to training. Ajax are said to be holding out for a fee of between €55-60million (£48-52.5m) for Hato, who still has three years remaining on his current contract in Amsterdam. Speaking to De Telegraaf on Wednesday, Hato's agent, Humphry Nijman confirmed that Chelsea had opened discussions to close a deal for last term's Eredivisie Talent of the Season. 'Yes, the club [Chelsea] have contacted Ajax,' he told the Dutch newspaper. Hato featured 50 times for Ajax across the 2024/25 campaign and played a key role as the club narrowly missed out on the Eredivisie title after finishing just one point behind PSV Eindhoven. In an interview with Ajax's official website last month, Hato outlined the goals and ambitions he hoped to fulfil in his career. At the time, the Netherlands international was keen to stress that he felt at 'home' at Ajax. 'The smartest thing is to look ahead to pre-season, that's what I do,' Hato said. 'Of course you want to achieve things in the end: the Champions League, a World Cup and a European Championship, I still have plenty of time. I don't think I absolutely have to win the Champions League in two years. 'In the Dutch league, you have to show how good you are against the big clubs. Ultimately, I have to continue to develop the things I am already good at, so that it becomes top. 'How do I describe my time at Ajax? Ajax is home for me. I just feel at home here.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak rejects £96m transfer offer after Liverpool talks MORE: William Saliba provides major update on Arsenal future amid fresh Real Madrid transfer links MORE: Ruben Amorim explains why Man Utd fans must wait for Bryan Mbeumo debut

Mats Knoester confident after stunning Celtic as Aberdeen star looks to smash Hearts hoodoo
Mats Knoester confident after stunning Celtic as Aberdeen star looks to smash Hearts hoodoo

Daily Record

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Mats Knoester confident after stunning Celtic as Aberdeen star looks to smash Hearts hoodoo

The Dons haven't won at Tynecastle since 2017 and kick off their season in Gorgie against old gaffer Derek McInnes and a team in form Mats Knoester believes Aberdeen can smash their Hearts hoodoo – after crushing their Celtic curse to lift the Scottish Cup. ‌ The Dons haven't won at Tynecastle since 2017. ‌ But Cup hero Knoester is confident that is about to change when Jimmy Thelin 's men head there for their Premiership opener on Monday night. ‌ The 26-year-old Dutch defender stated: 'They're a good team, a big team as well. I think it's going to be an exciting game. 'It's not going to be an easy game away, but I think it's going to be interesting to see. 'Always the first game in the season is interesting to see how the teams are after the pre-season. 'We're aware that it's a tough game, away at Hearts, but I also think the past doesn't really matter. 'And if I can go back to Celtic at Hampden – we don't have a really good record against Celtic and then you win the game. 'So, in football I don't think you should go too much back to the past and then look forward.' ‌ Hearts have appointed former Dons boss Derek McInnes and Knoester expects them to be one of their main rivals for third spot. He accepted: 'Yeah, if we look a bit further, I think they're also one of the competitors. 'Of course, as Aberdeen, you're one of the bigger teams, and Hearts is that as well. ‌ 'So, in that way, I think we should compete with each other. 'But I prefer to just go week by week. I do that with myself and also with the team and their goals.' ‌ Knoester knows that Aberdeen's Cup win will mean they will have a target on their backs this season, but he is confident Thelin's men can handle the extra pressure. Knoester admitted: 'Yeah, it can be. (It's) No problem. If they want to see it like that, it's fine.' The Pittodrie side wrapped up their pre-season with defeats to English Premier League Fulham and Ipswich, who were relegated from the tip flight last term. ‌ They lost the games 4-1 and 3-1, respectively, but Knoester believes the games were exactly what Aberdeen needed. He claimed: 'I think that was the goal, to have some big opponents, let's say, like Fulham and now Ipswich, especially going into Europe as well. 'We have a tough season coming, so I think if you want to improve something, you also have to play against the better teams, because they will show you what's needed to be on that level. 'I think one big difference was consistency – you see how consistent they are, and if they do make a mistake, they make up for it. They make a foul or they're back fast enough. ‌ 'Also, if there's a rebound, there's somebody there who taps it in, while we just miss it. 'Stuff like that, I think we can learn from that. You're the one that sets a standard for yourself.' ‌ Boss Thelin also experimented in the two games and former Ferencvaros stopper Knoester added: 'What we wanted to do is play a high line, maybe a bit more extreme than what we normally do. 'Just to try and create pressure on them and take a bit more risk. 'That's one thing that makes it sometimes a little bit more difficult or challenging to cover every space. ‌ 'Obviously we need to adjust a little bit on that towards next Monday.' Guaranteed European group stage football will also put an additional strain on the Aberdeen players. Former boss Barry Robson lost his job when Dons struggled with European games last time but Knoester believes that won't be the case now. He said: 'We trained under really heavy circumstances, in pre-season a lot of high-intensity metres. 'We did everything we could to be ready for that.'

Luke Littler beats James Wade to win first World Matchplay crown in Blackpool
Luke Littler beats James Wade to win first World Matchplay crown in Blackpool

Rhyl Journal

time4 hours ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Luke Littler beats James Wade to win first World Matchplay crown in Blackpool

Littler claimed a hard-fought 18-13 victory at the Winter Gardens to become the fifth player to win the PDC Triple Crown – Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries having also won World Championship, Matchplay and Premier League titles. Wade was in his seventh Matchplay final 18 years on from his solitary success in 2007, which came six months after Littler was born. Luke Littler is the new king of the Winter Gardens! 👑 The 18-year-old produces another spectacular performance to become the youngest champion in the history of the Betfred World Matchplay! 👏 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 27, 2025 Littler's scoring power in a high-quality contest proved decisive – he hit 17 180s to Wade's six in averaging 107 – and set a new tournament record of 64 maximums, beating Adrian Lewis' previous best of 56. 'It means absolutely everything,' Littler told Sky Sports after winning the last four legs to hold the Phil Taylor Trophy aloft. 'I idolise Phil, he's come here 16 times and won it. Now my name is on this trophy – and I can say I've completed the Triple Crown. 'Since I started on the Tour and got my Tour card I've always said to myself, 'as long as I win one of every major I'll be happy.' 'I've only got a few left to tick off and I'll definitely chase the majors I haven't won yet.' Littler had to mount another comeback 24 hours after losing the first five legs of his semi-final to Northern Ireland's Josh Rock. Wade stormed into a 5-0 lead but did not have a single dart at a double in the second mini-session as Littler levelled in style. The 42-year-old left-hander produced an 11-darter in the next, but Littler responded by winning successive legs to lead for the first time at 7-6. Wade managed to keep in touch, helped by a bull finish in the 19th leg, and fought back from a double break down to cut the gap to just one at 14-13. LITTLER REIGNS AT THE WINTER GARDENS! ☢️ LUKE LITTLER IS THE 2025 WORLD MATCHPLAY CHAMPION! The World Champion produces a sensational display to defeat James Wade 18-13 and lift the Phil Taylor Trophy for the first time! 👏#MatchplayDarts | Final — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 27, 2025 But Littler pulled away and crossed the line in style with a 115 out shot (20-57-38), the biggest finish of the match. 'A little bit,' Littler said when asked if he had felt in control. 'Five-nil down once again, I said, 'I've been here before, what are you doing?' 'But I managed to pull it out of the bag and win the next five. I've shown I can come back from 5-0 or 7-3 down. 'I'm happy I can pull myself out of these scorelines, but I don't want to be 5-0 down again. 'James started to drop off a bit and I started to find my best darts.' By winning the title 18-year-old Littler became the youngest ever champion in Matchplay history, six years younger than Wade when he lifted the title.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store