It’s been a transformative year for Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney — a World Cup triumph alongside Josh Rock, a return to form when the timing mattered, and now a date with destiny at Alexandra Palace. And not just destiny — danger. Because waiting for him in round one is Beau Greaves, the young phenom with an entire sport roaring behind her.
But, before stepping into the Ally Pally furnace, Gurney spent a weekend turning a raucous Scottish theatre into his own personal coliseum. Edinburgh in December wasn’t meant to be the centre of the darting universe, yet somehow it became just that.
Over two nights, the Scots shook the rafters and left Gurney beaming like he’d discovered a new religion in crowd noise. Speaking exclusively to Darts World on-site, the two-time PDC major winner was in chatty mood:
“Absolutely amazing… the best that I’ve ever played in.” This from a man who has stood centre-stage in Cologne with 14,000 fans rattling the walls. Even that didn’t compete. “They were louder than 14,000.”
Superchin left Edinburgh still vibrating from it, and the timing could not be better — because the next stop is the place where noise becomes weaponry: Ally Pally. And the draw? Brutal. Beau Greaves — a match-up most would avoid like a charging bull. Gurney, though, sees only the truth of it: “I would bet definitely Beau would win a Pro Tour next year because she’s got a card. Super, super dart player.”
He strips away the labels, the headlines, the novelty narratives. “She is an amazing dart player.” Then the line that tells you everything about how highly he rates her: “I think she can be as good as Luke Littler.”
No hesitation. No cushioning. Just respect — clean and sharp. The crowd will be against him. The cameras will be hunting reaction shots. Ally Pally will feel like a pantomime stage with one clear villain. Gurney is already rehearsing for the role. He’s done it before. Austria hardened him to that particular theatre.
“It’s me against my opponent and the crowd. And if I could focus on that, I’ll be okay.” The Northern Irishman actually relishes it. “I’m not going to fear away from it because I feel like I’m the man for the job. There’s not many people that are a man for the job and I’m one of them.”
That’s Superchin at full stride — shoulders squared, chin out, daring the room to swallow him. It helps that he’s arriving in London with momentum stitched into his sleeves. His Players Championship Finals run was part survival epic, part late-night thriller. Adam Lipscombe had him on the ropes. Eleven match darts squandered. And still the Derry chucker threw the dagger.
“There was a 92 on two double 18s. There was a 136 whenever he was sitting on 48.” Right when he needed something impossible, he produced something outrageous. “Nine all… Could I predict that I was going to do an 11-darter to beat him? No.” That’s the thing with Gurney — chaos doesn’t derail him. It sharpens him.
And behind the scenes, something even more important has clicked. The old groove. The old weight. The old Gurney. “I’m hitting more 180s now in the last two weeks than I have probably in the last six, seven months.” No wonder his confidence is simmering. “I feel like I’ll be hard to beat, should it be against Beau or whoever.”
And when it comes to Greaves, his admiration is unfiltered. “Everybody else will tell you that she’s the best woman dart player there’s ever been… and deservedly so.” But let’s not pretend he’s distracted by the million-pound prize tag dangling over the champion. Gurney couldn’t care less. “Money doesn’t bother me… All I know is that the winner gets a million pound. But that doesn’t matter anything to me.” He’s old school. Pure. Traditional in pursuit. “Give me the trophy.”
Still, nothing captures his personality — the showman stitched into the fighter — quite like imagining life after the impossible dream comes true: “I don’t know how it would sound whenever I’m sitting in the Barbados, drinking cocktails, start smoking cigars just for the crack of it, wearing gold chains, and just more or less turn into Dave Chisnall’s manager, Big Roger.”
And then he snaps right back into warrior mode — grounded, focused, deadly serious. “Anybody that looks past their first round deserves to get beat. And I will give Beau 100% the respect she deserves.”
Superchin isn’t walking toward Ally Pally. He’s marching. He’s tightening the grip. He’s tuning the engine.
And he’s preparing to walk into the biggest noise of the year with the smirk of a man who enjoys the challenge. The lions’ den awaits. Gurney isn’t bringing fear. He’s bringing fire.
——ENDS—–
Images: PDC
