Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton will meet in the fourth round of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship after claiming dramatic wins at Alexandra Palace on a day which also saw Damon Heta hit a nine-dart finish.
Price and Clayton earned dramatic wins over Joe Cullen and Daryl Gurney respectively on Friday, while Heta hit a perfect leg in defeat to Luke Woohouse.
Price surrendered a 3-0 lead and survived a match dart from Cullen, who landed a 170 checkout to force a deciding leg which saw Price prevail to set up a meeting with two-time Welsh World Cup winning partner Clayton.
“I’m not playing Jonny, I’m playing the board, just like I always do,” said Price.
“I’ll go up there and concentrate on my game, we’ll shake hands after and may the best man win.
“I’ve got a lot more in the tank, I can play a lot better than I played tonight.
“Joe made it so tough, he just kept coming back at me and I actually thought I was going to lose the game.
“I was just desperate to get over the winning line after putting myself in a tricky position, but thankfully I got the win.”
Clayton raced into a 3-0 lead against Gurney, but had to fend off a valiant fightback from the Northern Irishman who won nine of the next 11 legs to set up a thrilling finale.
However, Gurney squandered seven darts at double to force a tie-break, and Clayton kept his cool to move through to the last 16 for a third consecutive year.
“I don’t make it easy for myself, I keep everyone on the edge of their seats,” Clayton joked.
“It’s great to get over the line, I somehow hit the double four to win so I’m a happy man.
“Daryl is a gentleman, he wears his heart on his sleeve and he was unlucky not to beat me.
“I got a bit of luck today but I’ve now got to make the most of this opportunity.”
Stephen Bunting, the Masters champion, posted a ton-topping average in his 4-1 demolition of Latvia’s Madars Razma.
The 39-year-old averaged 100.06 and landed six 180s to continue his title charge, although he insisted he isn’t concerned about sending out a statement to his title rivals.
“I couldn’t care less about what the others are doing to be honest,” claimed Bunting, a semi-finalist in 2020/21.
“It’s all about me, and the Bunting bandwagon! The crowd today was unbelievable. I was crying during the walk-on, it was that emotional!
“It is a special place to play. When you’re up on that stage there’s nowhere to hide, but when you have 3,000 fans shouting your name, you are just riding on the crest of wave!”
Peter Wright defied a chest infection to claim an impressive 4-2 win over Jermaine Wattimena.
The two-time World Champion fired in ten 180s on his way to victory over in-form Dutchman Wattimena.
“I think Jermaine maybe felt a bit sorry for me,” said Wright.
“[The chest infection] wasn’t affecting my darts. Hopefully I’ll feel a bit better by the time I play my next game.
“I think experience got me through tonight, along with the support from the crowd.”
The Paddy Power World Darts Championship continues on Saturday, as six fourth round ties take place across two sessions.
Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen headline the evening session, while Nathan Aspinall features in the afternoon action.
2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Friday December 27
Third Round
Afternoon Session
Luke Woodhouse 4-3 Damon Heta (3-2, 1-3, 2-3, 2-3, 3-0, 3-0, 3-0) – Damon Heta hits nine-dart finish
Jonny Clayton 4-3 Daryl Gurney (3-2, 3-1, 3-0, 1-3, 0-3, 1-3, 3-1)
Stephen Bunting 4-1 Madars Razma (3-1, 3-0, 2-3, 3-0, 3-2)
Evening Session
Gerwyn Price 4-3 Joe Cullen (3-2, 3-2, 3-1, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 6-5)
Peter Wright 4-2 Jermaine Wattimena (3-1, 3-1, 2-3, 3-0, 0-3, 3-1)
Luke Humphries 4-0 Nick Kenny (3-2, 3-1, 3-1, 3-0)
Saturday December 28
Third Round
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
Ryan Joyce v Ryan Searle
Scott Williams v Ricardo Pietreczko
Nathan Aspinall v Andrew Gilding
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Chris Dobey v Josh Rock
Michael van Gerwen v Brendan Dolan
Luke Littler v Ian White
Sunday December 29
Third Round
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
Jeffrey de Graaf v Paolo Nebrida
Kevin Doets v Krzysztof Ratajski
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Callan Rydz
Sunday December 29 (1900 GMT)
Third Round
Ricky Evans v Robert Owen
Fourth Round
Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price
Luke Humphries v Peter Wright
All matches best of seven sets
——ENDS—–
Images: PDC
