Gerwyn Price pulled off what fans are calling a “1000 IQ” masterstroke as he edged Joe Cullen in one of the most dramatic matches of this year’s World Darts Championship, surviving a breathless sudden-death leg at Alexandra Palace to win 4-3 and march into the last 16.
The contest had everything: an early blitz from Price, a remarkable fightback from Cullen and a nerve-shredding finish that swung one way then the other before being decided by a single, decisive moment. Price, seeded 10th, stormed into a 3-0 lead and looked to be in total control, only for Cullen — the No. 23 seed — to produce a comeback that left the Ally Pally crowd roaring and the match heading for a final-set shootout.
Cullen’s resurgence was built on momentum and big finishes. He took the fourth and fifth sets and then clinched the sixth to pull the match level at 3-3, forcing the players into a winner-takes-all final set. At a pivotal moment late in that set, Cullen produced a stunning 170 checkout to keep himself alive and send the tie to a sudden-death leg — one of the most dramatic swings of the evening.
What had supporters raving, though, was Price’s single-minded approach to doubles throughout the match. Despite repeatedly struggling to find the outer ring when closing legs — at one point missing four match darts — the Welshman consistently set himself up on double 20, again and again, even when a more conservative or varied strategy might have been safer. Fans noticed and loved the stubbornness. “The b*****s on Gerwyn Price to stick at tops,” one viewer gasped online, while others added: “Price is persistent on that tops!” and “Price’s obsession with D20 is ridiculous.”
That persistence ultimately paid off. Price hit double 20 to go 5-4 up in the decisive set, then checked out on tops again to secure the sudden-death leg and clinch the match. The moment felt like theatre: a player who had looked uncomfortable with doubles all night backing himself in the most pressure-packed moment and landing the shot that mattered most.
Afterwards Price admitted how hard the match had been, offering a candid assessment of the tightrope he walked. “That was tough. I just wanted to get over the winning line… every single set he just kept coming back. He played some good darts at the right time,” he told Sky Sports. He admitted to thinking the tie had slipped away at various points — and to a mixture of relief and unfinished business. “I put myself in that position, I got myself out of it. I kept in it right till the end and thankfully got the win and I’m still in. I’ve got a lot more in the tank and I’ll play a lot better than I played tonight. I done enough to win — and I’m just happy with that.”
For Cullen, the match will sting. Having pulled off one of the sport’s great recoveries to force sudden death, he fell just short of completing the comeback. The young Englishman’s ability to fight back from 3-0 down was a marker of his resilience and class — and a reminder that in elite darts no lead is ever safe.
The result adds another chapter to the drama at Alexandra Palace this tournament. Price progresses to the last 16 and will head into his next match buoyed by the knowledge that, even on an off night with doubles, he can rely on belief and stubbornness to carry him through. For neutral fans, the match will be replayed in highlight reels — not only for the 170 and the sudden-death tension but for the psychological chess that unfolded: a player refusing to abandon his preferred route and ultimately being rewarded for it.
If nothing else, the clash reminded everyone why the World Championship at the Ally Pally remains one of the great nights in sport — where games are won, lost and defined by inches, decisions and the tiniest slivers of nerve.
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