Price lifts lid on Littler and Humphries' World Cup of Darts nightmare

Gerwyn Price reckons England's shock World Cup of Darts demise was down to Luke Littler and Luke Humphries not having the same team ethic as other countries in the event.
Northern Ireland were crowned World Cup winners for the first time on Sunday night, beating Wales 10-9 in an epic final in Frankfurt.
Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock got the better of Price and Jonny Clayton in a final which most expected to feature the English team of Humphries and Littler.
However, the top two players in the world rankings were downed by Germany in their first game, beaten 8-4 by the home nation in a big shock in the last 16.
Price was asked about the need for friendship and a connection between the pair to achieve success in the World Cup of Darts and he suggested this is where the English dream team went wrong.
'I think you need a connection, I think you need to have that camaraderie off the stage and have that connection,' the Iceman said after defeat in the final.
'When we all turned up…and I'm not just saying this because they lost…the only two players who didn't turn up together, didn't sit together, didn't play as a team…I'm not saying who they are, but they didn't win their first game.
'You need it. You need to turn up as a team, practice together, sit together, it's a team ethic and it didn't show with England and it showed on the board.
'They're great players individually, but you need to be a team. You need that team ethic, you need to be together as a team all the way though, but it didn't happen.
'I wanted them to do well but they didn't. I'm not just saying that, I wanted them to do well but they were rubbish.'
The Northern Irish pair downed England's conquerors in the semi-finals, thrashing the Germans 8-1 before their brilliant tussle with the Welsh in the final.
In a deciding leg of stunning quality Gurney landed a 180 before Rock hit a 171 to leave just 16, which Gurney nailed to wrap it up in just 11 darts.
The 39-year-old has won major titles before, but not since the 2018 Players Championship Finals and he admitted that he felt his trophy-lifting days were over.
'This is better. I said in my interview yesterday, if we could win this it would be better than any individual competition I've won,' he said.
'I'm a very proud Northern Irishman today. So pleased to play with Josh. We said we could do damage, we've done damage. We came, we won, we conquered.
'We're not finished yet. I believed I was finished, that's why I'm so emotional because I thought I was probably done as a PDC winner but Josh gave me the belief.' More Trending
24-year-old Rock turned in a sublime performance over the piece in Germany, with PremiumDartsData revealing his tournament average to be 102.42.
'That was probably the best World Cup final there's ever been,' he said. 'That was just phenomenal.'
Rock is still searching for his own first major TV title, but reckons this could be the springboard to launch him to individual glory.
'I'm hoping so,; he said. 'I believe in myself that it will happen.'
MORE: World Cup of Darts 2025 schedule, TV channel, teams, fixtures and odds
MORE: Phil Taylor 'advice' helps Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler to Premier League Darts title
MORE: Premier League Darts final 2025: Prize money, start time, format and schedule

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mirror

an hour ago

• Daily Mirror

Partying with Bond, 'most-violent' match & David Campese - The Lions Down Under

The British & Irish Lions are set to add to a fabled history of tours to Australia this summer as they return Down Under for the first time since 2013 Australia might be known as the 'lucky country' but don't tell that to David Campese. The Wallabies great might have won the 1991 World Cup - where he was named Player of the Tournament - earned more than 100 caps in a 14-year international career and have gone down as one of the finest athletes (let alone rugby players) that Australia has ever produced. Yet to Lions fans, he'll always be remembered for a mistake, one that arguably handed the tourists victory in a rollercoaster 1989 series. ‌ It set the platform for what has become a rivalry pock-marked with soaring highs, plundering lows and a fair bit of bad blood in between. ‌ With 20 minutes left in the decisive third Test in Sydney, Australia led 12-9 when a Rob Andrew drop goal slipped wide of the posts, where a waiting Campese collected in his own in-goal area. The winger went back to run the ball out from behind his own try-line but then flicked a pass to his supporting full-back Greg Martin. However, as if in slow motion, the pass went behind Martin, hit the floor and the covering Ieuan Evans gleefully dived on the loose ball for the try and a lead the Lions would turn into a series-winning 19-18 victory. 'It was a one-in-100 moment,' Campese said when reflecting on the aftermath. 'I walked in the dressing room, none of the Australian players or [coach] Bob Dwyer came near me for about 15 minutes and I was pretty down.' To rub salt into Campese's wound, he was pulled over by the police while driving home and handed a speeding ticket. 'Talk about bad luck,' he said. And later, in a bizarre turn of events, as he walked through the front door, just desperate to get to bed, he had phone call from the St Helen's rugby league team offering him a huge sum of money to sign. 'I don't know what game they were watching,' he added. 'It was a strange night, that's for sure. The ironic thing is, I did the exact same pass the next week and it worked. It was bad luck.' ‌ Campese's is not the only iconic Lions moment to have come Down Under. Think Brian O'Driscoll's breath-taking try, Kurtley Beale's jaw-dropping slip, and George North's hilarious fireman's lift on Israel Folau. Historically, the Lions' most storied rivalries may be with South Africa and New Zealand, both scenes of legendary 1970s successes. But they have played those two nations 91 times combined and have won just 25. Take out the 71' tour to New Zealand, where the Lions recorded their only series win against the All Blacks, and the '74 trip to South Africa, where they emerged unbeaten and with a famous 3-0 win against the Springboks, and their overall record against those two southern hemisphere giants is – to be blunt – bleak. ‌ Against Australia, it's anything but. Of the 23 Test matches, from 1899 to 2013, the Lions have won 17. Indeed, of the nine Test series staged between them, they have won seven. Though the Lions have a long history of touring Australia - the very ever Lions tour included two months there in 1888, sandwiching two stints in New Zealand – their rivalry simmered rather than boiled for more than a century. ‌ And then came 1989, and the rivalry burst into life – and not just because of Campese's infamous error. The background to the series was fascinating in itself. The '89 Lions were the first to visit Australia since 1971, the first to play more than two games in the country since 1966 and only the second ever Lions side to use Australia as their sole destination. Only the Reverend Matthew Mullineux's tourists 90 years earlier had toured Australia without venturing to New Zealand. With this in mind, it was hardly surprising that there were plenty of doubters ahead of the adventure. Australian rugby had struggled during the 1970s but the Grand Slam tourists of 1984 – the Wallabies beat all four home unions on an autumn tour - had shown that they could hang with the best. ‌ The Lions may have won all eight of their non-Test fixtures but they were convincingly beaten in the first international in Sydney, a 30-12 hammering. But that defeat only spurred the Lions on to create history of their own. The Battle of Ballymore, as it was aptly christened by the Australian press, is widely regarded as one of the most bruising encounters in the history of the game. Victory over the soon-to-be world champions kept the tourists' series hopes alive but it was perhaps the manner of the triumph that paved the way for a series win – with the first scrum setting the tone. Australia's scrum-half Nick Farr-Jones prepared to feed the ball in but opposite number Robert Jones sneakily stood on his rival's foot and Farr-Jones snapped. As the two smallest men on the field came to blows, the Lions forwards piled in and battle commenced. ‌ Similarly robust confrontations occurred at regular intervals throughout the match, with Dai Young later accused of stamping on the head of Australian lock Stephen Cutler in one of the most-controversial moments of the entire series. "I would describe it as the most violent game of rugby that has ever been played,' said flanker Mike Teague after a 19-12 win. ‌ Robert Jones said: 'It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to stand on his foot at the first scrum and push down. He came back at me, and within seconds there was a pretty lively punch up going on.' The Australian public were engaged – and enraged. And then, a week later, came Campese. Now, with the Lions in a fixed cycle of touring Australia, New Zealand and South Africa on rotation, they have only been back Down Under twice since that series. ‌ 2001 was very different to 1989 – and what went on tour certainly did not stay on tour. Graham Henry was named as the first overseas coach in Lions history, having earned an impressive reputation with Wales, but the decision was met with criticism from sections of the press, arguing that an Irishman or a Brit should always be handed the reigns ahead of a foreigner. Rumours of discontent in the camp were rife before newspaper columns and player diaries threatened to ruin the tour. Austin Healy never has shaken off the fall-out from his Observer column, where he labelled Wallabies lock Justin Harrison a 'plank' and an 'ape'. He later used those pages to predict a fine would be coming his way. He was right. It was £3,000. ‌ The Lions somehow still produced one of their best-ever performances in the opening Test - inspired by a coming-of-age try from Irish centre O'Driscoll, where he danced through a sea of Aussie defenders and sprinted clear to score - before the Wallabies fought back to triumph in the second and third matches. 2013 was hardly spice-free either. Kurtley Beale's missed penalty in the last minute cost the Wallabies a first Test win and, while they battled back to level the series, the Lions produced an all-time display to win 41-16 in the third – with James Bond actor Daniel Craig partying with them in the changing rooms. 'Australia is a special place,' said Jamie Roberts at the end of that tour. 'Anything can happen.'

Daily Record

an hour ago

• Daily Record

Tommy Fleetwood reveals he'd be first in line to make key change at the Travelers

The English star flying at the Travelers and willing to take next step in kit choice Terrific Tommy Fleetwood sealed a special day at the Travelers with a nine-wood epic and admits he'll go even higher in the olf-fashioned club stakes if he is offered the chance. The English star is bang in contention for his first-ever PGA Tour title after a brilliant Friday at PDC River Highlands. ‌ Fleetwood roared to a back nine of 30 including two eagles to match pace with Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas at the halfway summit in Connecticut. ‌ The Ryder Cup hero finished the job with a magnificent moment as, after a loose drive hit a tree, he produced a glorious approach with the trusty nine-wood that he's had in the bag for the past couple of years. Fleetwood's use of the club has caught attention and been followed by peers and he said: 'I just sort of caught the right moment to hit a nine-wood. I had like 264 pin, but the minimum that I had to carry on the left was 240 something, so I knew if the nine-wood was turning, it was going to be fine. It came off perfect and then beautiful putt. 'Nine-wood I've had for two seasons now. This week, I don't have a four-iron in. Like four-iron and nine-wood go very similar distance, within five yards of each other, obviously very different performing clubs. "So it replaced the four-iron. My bag is always sort of changing. But I do feel like this week is a very good course for it. Four [head covers] and a putter so far. Getting more and more. I don't know, there's another season coming back next season, five-iron might be out. See what comes up next. 'No, I haven't been offered an 11-wood head yet, but believe me, if one comes out I'll be the first to try it.' ‌ Fleetwood's charge was stunning with the two eagles lightning up the afternoon and he added: 'I'm not sure I've had one for a while. So 13, wind was flickering off the right, I hit mini-driver off the tee, felt like it was the widest point. "Those crosswinds, you get around that point and you're obviously waiting a little bit and the wind goes from across to into to down and then 15, the tee shot there was unbelievable looking at it, and it pitched right into that upslope, and I was a bit gutted where it pitched and then chipped it in. Would have been happy walking off with two birdies, but two eagles was a big bonus.' Fleetwood's scoring belied the tricky conditions with he wind and he said: 'It was really tough, actually. ‌ "I think early on, you had to make sure you got your head around that it wasn't a very scorable day, especially on the front nine. I felt like there was a lot of tough holes, I scrambled really well. 'I guess this course does give you the opportunity to have a little stretch like I did. You can get on a roll like we've seen it in the past, but I don't think it was a day where you were really looking for that at all. "I'm very, very happy that it happened for me. 'There is a certain element of luck and a certain element of gusts involved and it was very tough. There was a ton of crosswinds all day and there's always an element of luck and timing involved in it. "All you can do is hit the shots. What I did really well was not let the wind overly dictate my swing. I sort of picked my shots well and hit my shots and took it from there. 'It's easy to try and do too much and I've definitely done that plenty of times before. I felt like I did a good job of the opposite really.'

Daily Mirror

2 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

'I have confession about being knighted by the Queen – and I nearly missed out'

Sir Alastair Cook was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for his services to cricket, but the former England captain was close to missing out on the honour altogether Few honours are more prestigious than a knighthood. Three years before the Queen passed away, former England cricket captain Sir Alastair Cook was named in her New Year honours list. And two months later, the former Essex Eagles star travelled to Buckingham Palace to be given his knighthood by the Queen. Despite the uniqueness of the occasion and the honour that comes with it, there is one crucial thing Sir Cook has forgotten. In the brief period of time he spent with Her Majesty the Queen, the legendary batsman admitted he can't actually recall what the monarch said. ‌ In addition to that, he was also close to missing out on the honour altogether, as his invitation was sent to the wrong address. ‌ While speaking at the launch of The Overlap and Betfair's Stick to Cricket show, Cook, when asked to describe the invitation process, exclusively told Mirror Sport:"Well, I got a text message. "My invitation got sent to the wrong address. So someone had some address for something, whether they opened it or not, I do not know." Looking back on the afternoon itself, he added: "The whole day and the whole experience is very surreal. Certainly one you don't set out for, don't expect and don't necessarily think you deserve. "It's a very special day to be able to receive it and to be called a Sir and to be able to understand the history of the award, I like my history. It's a huge honour and that's all I can really say about it. ‌ "I can't actually remember what she said. But it was an honour to have met her on a few occasions. It's certainly one which is up there as a proud thing." Cook retired from international cricket at the age of 33 years old after a historic career as England captain and opening batsman. He departed having amassed 33 test centuries and 12,472 runs, the latter being a national record until Joe Root surpassed him in 2024 on day three of the five-test series in Pakistan. Cook received an MBE in 2011, which was upgraded to a CBE five years later. Only 12 England cricket stars have received knighthoods for services to the sport, with Cook being the first since Sir Ian Botham in 2007 to be heralded with the honour. ‌ Now he is no longer competing, Cook has been impressed with Ben Stokes ' leadership since he was named captain in 2022. Mentioning his former team-mate, Cook added: "He'll (Stokes) go down in the history of English cricket as one of the best. "As a leader, you get judged on a couple of things, how your side plays and your results. He's certainly gone in and changed the narrative of how test cricket can be seen." Stokes' leadership will be put to the test this year, with this weekend's five-test series against India providing England with a huge challenge. A matter of months later, England will travel to Australia for the start of the Ashes in November. Betfair are set for a big summer and winter of cricket, launching a new show with The Overlap: Stick to Cricket. Don't miss the first episode next week, where the team will be reviewing the opening test of the series between England and India.