By:
Conor Martin
Northern Ireland have won the World Cup of Darts for the first time thanks to Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock’s stunning performance in their win over Wales in a final-leg decider.
The pair were visibly emotional after overcoming two-time champions Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton 10-9 in Frankfurt.
The winning pair, playing together for the first time, picked up a team first prize of £80,000.
The pair beat South Africa in the second round on Saturday. They followed that up with an 8-5 win over the Republic of Ireland in the quarter-finals before thrashing Germany 8-1 in the last four. They made it a hat-trick of wins on Sunday with a 10-9 win in the final.
Northern Ireland started better than their Welsh opponents; Rock missed two attempts at a double which would have put them 4-1 ahead before Clayton checked out on 142 to level the match at 3-3.
The Welsh pair hit form and found themselves leading 7-5. But their opponents rallied to win the next four legs.
However, Gurney and Rock missed golden opportunities to win it, and Wales levelled at 9-9, but Northern Ireland threw first in the decider, and Gurney nailed double eight in an 11-dart leg to seal victory.
For the very first time… NORTHERN IRELAND ARE WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 👏 pic.twitter.com/UHtN1CZdXG
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 15, 2025
Northern Ireland teammates reflect on World Cup of Darts victory
Gurney, who comes from Derry/Londonderry, reflected on the achievement:
“Josh’s power scoring was incredible. All I had to do was finish up.
“But I was never going to miss double eight. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
“I have never been so proud of this man and myself. I put this in higher regard than I did winning an individual event.
“This is incredible. I think I will have a sore head in the morning.”
In the aftermath of their World Cup triumph, Rock said in an interview with Sky Sports:
If you told me the first time that Daryl and I played together that we’d win a World Cup together, I’m not sure I would have believed you.
“I don’t think many people expected us to win the World Cup. But we did it.”
Rock, currently ranked 17th best in the world, believes that he and his partner can go on and win a few more titles this year.
When it went to the final leg, I said to myself, I have to hit a 180 here. I didn’t have to because Daryl did it. He was fantastic. Absolutely incredible.
“It’s a catalyst for us both. I believe one of us will win a major this year, because the experience of winning this tournament on the big stage in front of the Sky Sports cameras can only help us.
“It’s a privilege to represent your country. To make history and to win a World Cup for Northern Ireland is unreal. There will always be a star on our shirt from now on. I’m so proud of that.”
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