Sport Darts World Cup
Gerwyn Price loses all four deciders and is surprisingly eliminated
As of 9:57 p.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Long face: Gerwyn Price was surprisingly left behind
Quelle: Getty Images/Tom Dulat
Gerwyn Price failed in the third round of the Darts World Cup. The world number five surprisingly lost to Brendan Dolan. Chris Dobey had previously made the duel with the defending champion perfect.
Who would have thought? Gerwyn Price, number five on the Order of Merit and 2021 world champion, was eliminated in the third round of the Darts World Cup in London. The Welshman lost to underdog Brendan Dolan 2:4. The driving instructor from Northern Ireland is in the round of 16 of the World Championship for the second time in his long career.
The 50-year-old was there in the important situations right from the start, checked 144 points to win the first set and took the lead again after the game was 1-1 after Price missed three set darts in set three. Again it was 3:2 after legs.
The favorite secured the fourth set again, this time with a 3-0 win. In the fifth round, Price prevented another set loss with a 96 checkout and saved himself into the decider. Dolan was ready to checkout with 16 points remaining. One leg later, the Northern Irishman completed his third set win – just like he did with the first two in the decider. A surprise was in the offing – the Ally Pally wasp even came onto the stage briefly. Price was two ahead after legs, but one behind after sets.
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The noose began to tighten, especially since Dolan started with a break in the sixth round and then got his throw through. Price now needed three legs in a row to avoid elimination. Dolan got a match dart on the bullseye but missed. Price’s nerve-racking 81 points made it 1:2. Even more impressive was his double 20 in the next leg, when he only had one arrow in his hand and Dolan was waiting with 16 points remaining.
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The fourth decider was done – and Dolan prevailed again. The 50-year-old Northern Irishman turned his second match dart into the biggest surprise so far at this World Cup.
In the round of 16: Brendan Dolan will now face Gary Anderson or Boris Krcmar
Quelle: Getty Images/Tom Dulat
In the afternoon, Joe Cullen had already qualified for the round of 16, but was too inconsistent in his match against Ryan Searle to expect big things from number 14 in the Order of Merit at this World Cup. Cullen wobbled worryingly, especially in the crucial moments. In the decider of the fourth set, for example, he missed three set darts in a row on double 18 and double 9 before Searle checked 124 over the bullseye to equalize. One round later, when the score was 2:0, he even missed four set darts to make it 3:2, had to go to the decider and ultimately had to rely on six mistakes from his opponent in order to secure the 3:2. Second and third chances that Humphries is unlikely to offer him.
Chris Dobeys furioser Start
Chris Dobey is also in the round of 16. “Hollywood” prevailed 4-2 against Ross Smith in the third round match, which was not only competitive in terms of scheduling. The number 16, Smith, against the 17, Dobey, held, which indicated that he was not a favorite. Both ended up averaging between 102 and 103 points and hit 36 percent of their doubles.
Dobey started the match furiously. Smith was averaging 111 midway through the second set, had hit 100 percent of his doubles and was still down 0-2 in sets and 0-2 in legs. In the second set, Dobey hit a 120 average. But then came the sudden break. While the XX-year-old had previously hit almost everything, he now missed seven set darts in a row to make it 3-0 and then lost three legs in a row to make it 2-1 in sets.
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Smith took advantage of the situation against the briefly indisposed Dobey and equalized to 2-2, but then missed six darts in a row to make it 2-0 in the fifth set. Dobey thanked him and used the advantage of the throw-off to make it 3-2 in the decider and the momentum to get back into the game. “He came back and fought. But I also showed that I can fight. I never give up,” said Dobey, who won the sixth set 3-1. He now faces defending champion Michael Smith and has a good chance of another win against the “Bully Boy”. Four of the five comparisons in 2023 went to “Hollywood.”
Darts World Cup, results on December 28th
3rd round:
Florian Hempel (D) – Stephen Bunting (ENG/18) 0:4 (2:3; 1:3; 2:3; 2:3)
Joe Cullen (ENG/14) – Ryan Searle (ENG/19) 4:2 (3:1; 3:1; 0:3; 2:3; 3:2; 3:2)
Ross Smith (ENG/16) – Chris Dobey (ENG/17) 2:4 (1:3; 1:3; 3:2; 3:1; 2:3; 1:3)
Gerwyn Price (WAL/5) – Brendan Dolan (NIR/28) 2:4 (2:3; 3:1; 2:3; 3:0; 2:3; 2:3)
Luke Humphries (ENG/3) – Ricardo Pietreczko (D)
Ricky Evans (ENG) – Daryl Gurney (NIR/27)
Darts World Cup, schedule for December 29th
3rd round (from 1:45 p.m.):
Damon Heta (AUS/10) – Berry van Peer (NED)
Jonny Clayton (WAL/9) – Krzysztof Ratajski (POL/24)
Jim Williams (WAL) – Raymond van Barneveld (NED/29)
3rd round (from 8 p.m.):
1x 3rd round
Boris Krcmar (CRO) – Gary Anderson (SCO/21)
Round of 16 (from 9 p.m.):
2x round of 16
