Gurney ‘ready to rock’ at Ally Pally
DARYL Gurney is confident he can turn up the heat and break new ground when he takes on the Iceman, Gerwyn Price, in a massive World Championship quarter-final clash at Alexandra Palace, live on Sky Sports tonight (6.15pm).
Gurney will become the first Irishman ever to reach the last four of the £2.5m showpiece, being played behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions, if he can overcome the World No.3 on the first day of 2021 — and the Londonderry thrower is sure he has the game to power on towards Sunday night’s final.
The winner of tonight’s showdown will start favourite against either ‘Polish Eagle’ Krzysztof Ratajski or England’s Stephen Bunting in tomorrow’s semi-final.
Gurney (34), a huge fan of the Northern Ireland international football team, will walk on tonight to the Windsor Park anthem Sweet Caroline. He said: “I’m ready to rock — I feel I can beat anyone. You never know what can happen.”
Welsh wizard Price (35), a former professional rugby player who dramatically edged out Fermanagh’s Brendan Dolan in a deciding leg in the third round, added: “Daryl is a fantastic player and I will have to be at my best to beat him, but I’m determined to go on and win the tournament because I’ve got my eye on the World No.1 spot.”
World No.11 Gurney has had a poor season by his own high standards but has really started to hit form at London’s Ally Pally, accounting for Limerick’s Willie O’connor, England’s Chris Dobey and Dutchman Vincent van der Voort — only just missing double-12 for a nine-darter — on his way to the last eight, emulating his only other quarter-final appearance back in 2017.