Gerwyn Price well being replace issued after shock withdrawal from Darts World Cup
Gerwyn Price has withdrawn from the World Cup of Darts for the second time in three years, with the world No.8 making himself unavailable for selection
Gerwyn Price has released a statement after he made himself unavailable for selection for the World Cup of Darts(Image: Getty Images)
Gerwyn Price has confirmed through a statement that his withdrawal from the World Cup of Darts is not down to any health issues.
The world No.8 has made himself unavailable for selection, meaning Nick Kenny will now team up with an in-form Jonny Clayton for the mid-June tournament. Price and Clayton reached last year’s World Cup final, overcoming the Philippines, Hong Kong and the Netherlands before meeting Northern Ireland in the showpiece event. Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney prevented Wales from claiming a third title, beating them in the final.
While Luke Littler and Luke Humphries enter the tournament as overwhelming favourites for England, a Price-Clayton pairing would still have put Wales as third seed. Nevertheless, with Price withdrawing and world No.60 Nick Kenny brought in as his replacement, Wales have slipped to seventh and must now work through the group-stage round-one qualifiers.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
This is the second time in three years Price has been absent from the World Cup, with Jim Williams previously stepping up to take his place. Speculation has been widespread regarding the reasons behind his latest withdrawal, but Price moved to dismiss the rumours on Monday evening.
Writing on Instagram, he stated: “Just to clarify I have NOT withdrawn from the World Cup because of health reasons.”
The precise reason for the 41-year-old’s withdrawal from the tournament remains a mystery, with his decision arriving just days after he posted a concerning health update following a 6-2 Premier League loss to Welsh team-mate Jonny Clayton in Leeds last week
“My focus is there, it’s just health-wise I am not in a great place at the moment,” he said. “But I am battling on and searching for some results.
“Hopefully in the next couple of weeks they will come and they will put me at ease. Then I will be able to enjoy darts again. Frustrating times.
“Time to rely on Lady Luck and see what happens over the next two weeks. Hopefully make the play-offs, but I need a lot of luck to go my way. Hopefully see you at the O2.
“It’s not good playing once a week and hopefully I get the results I want in three weeks’ time. This year has been great in the Premier League and it’s been a great start to the season.
“The crowd has got me through a lot of games but sometimes things happen you can’t control.”
The defeat leaves Price on 21 points with two weeks remaining, currently third in the rankings, though Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen are all hot on his heels.
The Premier League Darts heads to Birmingham on 14 May, before moving on to Sheffield ahead of the finals night at the O2 in London.
