World Cup of Darts: Welsh double act Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton aim to reclaim title

Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are the Welsh sporting double act aiming to reclaim the PDC World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, Germany, this weekend.

They are more often to be found as rivals on the global scene, doing their utmost to beat each other at the oche but "get on like a house on fire" when they combine to represent Wales as a team.

Price and Clayton will be competing in tandem for a sixth consecutive year, aiming to repeat their 2020 victory and become only the fourth nation to claim multiple World Cup successes.

But of the two, a special kind of fans' welcome has often been reserved for Price, which "cracks up" Clayton.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales' Rob Phillips and Molly Stephens show, Clayton adds: "They boo him walking down the runway to the stage, but once he's on that stage hitting stupid averages, amazing 180s, they're all behind him.

"I can't see what Gerwyn has to do differently for them not to have to boo him coming down that thing because like I say, he is the best player in the world at this moment and he proves it week in, week out.

"I think the crowd are just there to be annoying to be honest, when one starts booing I think everybody joins then just to be a part of it and I just think it's stupid really.

"He's one of the best players that's ever played the game and that earns respect in my books, not booing."

However, while Price sees some copycat behaviour among fans, he has also detected a change among spectators in recent times.

"As far as the crowd is concerned, it's just one of those things, they're a little bit like sheep - once one goes, they all follow," says Price.

"So there's nothing much you can do about it apart from keep playing well, keep hitting as many trebles as I can, keep winning as many darts matches as I can and hopefully pick up some trophies.

"But I tell you what, the crowd this year has been absolutely amazing and all the way through the Premier League - obviously there was one or two games where you get a little bit of a backlash when you're playing certain players in certain areas of England.

"But it's been brilliant and the crowds have changed immensely for me over the past six to 12 months which has been good."

'We know each other's routines'

Whatever the crowd reaction at the Eissporthalle this weekend, Price says he and Clayton will at least be able to enjoy each others' company.

"We get on like a house on fire off the board as well as on the board," said the former professional rugby player.

"We go out for meals and stuff, and things like that help when you're playing in a team game."

Price and Clayton begin their challenge on Saturday, 17 June in the second round with their status as second seeds meaning they were able to avoid the Thursday group-stage start, with England, the Netherlands and Scotland the other seeds to enjoy byes.

So what does a doubles tournament entail in terms of preparation and tactics for a sport that largely celebrates individual glory?

"We do as if we are going into a singles competition and then we do the same thing, but then maybe, an hour before we go to play, we'll do a few out-shots together, we suss each other out, what he likes, what I like. That's what we do," says Clayton.

"We've played with each other in the World Cup for four or five years now, so we know each other's routines.

"It's quite easy really that it's just turn up, get your arm loose, hope you hit the treble 20s and the doubles and lift that cup at the end of it."

Price adds: "If he's going to set me up, he (Clayton) knows I like to leave myself tops and vice-versa.

"Other than leaving someone a certain double, even though we're playing in a doubles match, we're just going to try and score as much as we can and leave whatever double Jonny likes, which is double 16 and double eight.

"I hope he knows I like double tops and double 12!"

What it takes to reach the top

However, the difference in how each of them likes to 'out' certainly sets them apart.

Price's liking for double top and double 12 while "hating" double 16 is in stark contract to Claytons' preference.

"I think I'm probably the best on the 121s," says Clayton. "I'm quite superstitious about that, but I also do think I'm a bit more dangerous with a combination shot than I am with three darts at one double.

"I usually mess up with three darts at one double, but my combination shots are pretty good, so hopefully Gezzy will do the small outs and I'll do the big outs."

But whatever brings them together and in turn sets them apart, they are in agreement on at least one thing: to emulate the great Welsh players of the past and rise to the top, one thing has to be in place - commitment.

Price says: "I think it's just the commitment and the attitude that you have to put in on the board and travelling and sacrificing so much with family time and things that you miss at home.

"But yeah, just give it 100% and not wasting the opportunity."

Clayton underlines the ethos, saying: "The question what makes you a better darts player, Gezzy's answered it - it's commitment, hours on that dartboard practicing.

"I'll speak for myself - I've got a boy that plays rugby and football - I don't see him play on Saturdays. I miss all that. That's massive as a family man, like Gezzy is as well, he's got two daughters.

"We miss a lot of things. We sacrifice a lot of things just for the game and when you're doing it, you have to give it 100% and I think that just gives you that little bit of an edge."

'If one of you is not firing, the other one needs to help'

Having won the World Cup in 2020, Price and Clayton went out in the 2021 semi-finals and lost out to winners Australia in 2022.

Now their sights are on winning back that trophy, with Clayton saying: "It's one of the most exciting tournaments because it's doubles.

"Basically, if one of you is not firing, the other one needs to help the one not firing. It's exciting. It's good for the fans, good for the players and I think it's good for the PDC darts."

Price says: "Australia had a brilliant team last year and Damon Heta is getting stronger and stronger. I know Simon [Whitlock] is probably not the player he once was, but it was a tough game.

"I think me and Jonny probably didn't play our best game in the final. We probably let one slip away, but fair play to Australia, they played fantastically all the way through and I said at the start of the tournament, I thought it would be us and Australia in the final.

"It turns out it was, but unfortunately, we fell short. I'm sure we are mentally in a better place this year and we're both playing well, so it's all on the day.

"With the doubles format rather than having singles in with it as well is a bit of a leveller and you're probably going to see a lot more upsets than you would see normally."

Listen to the Rob Phillips and Molly Stephens show on BBC Radio Wales on Saturday afternoons from 14:00 BST and later on demand.