"Elite players don’t give up the way he gave up" - Daryl Gurney under fire for "lack of character" during disappointing Grand Slam

Matthew Edgar has delivered stinging criticism of Daryl Gurney after the Northern Irishman’s disappointing showing at the recent Grand Slam of Darts.

The 39-year-old, who had actually shown signs of renewed form in recent months, fell apart in Wolverhampton and exited at the group stage for the first time in his career.

According to Edgar, that had little to do with the quality of Gurney’s darts and everything to do with his attitude during the tournament. Edgar stressed we were not watching the usual Gurney.

Gurney, a two-time major champion and a long-standing fixture in the PDC elite, lost all three of his group matches. Luke Littler, Connor Scutt and Karel Sedláček all proved too strong for “Superchin”, who failed to pick up a single win and never came close to threatening a place in the knockout rounds. It was a strange sight for a player known for his fighting spirit and ability to rise to big occasions.

Speaking on the Mission Darts Podcast, Edgar pointed out that Gurney had actually been in good nick recently. “When you look at Daryl Gurney, he’s been playing a lot better than maybe he’s been given credit for,” he said. The Northern Irishman reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship and lifted the World Cup of Darts alongside Josh Rock.

But none of that was visible in Wolverhampton. “In this event, I think he let himself down a little bit,” Edgar continued. “I’ve been singing his praises for a long time. We’ve been flying the flag of Daryl Gurney. I think he’s going to win something and that might have been the World Cup alongside Josh Rock.”

For Edgar, the issue wasn’t Gurney’s ability, but his attitude on stage. “I think when he reflects on the Grand Slam, he’ll be disappointed with not just that, but the lack of character he showed because that’s not Daryl Gurney.”

What really bothered him was Gurney’s behaviour mid-match: “That’s not Daryl Gurney’s game. Daryl Gurney doesn’t put his darts down four times in a game. ‘I’ve lost now.’ Daryl Gurney is not someone who accepts defeat. He’s not someone who rolls over.”

Edgar stressed that Gurney’s pedigree should make that unthinkable. “This player is in the top 24 of the world and has been in there for a very long time. He is an elite player. And elite players don’t give up the way he gave up in this event.”

He hinted there could be other issues in the background: “We can only go on what we see on the screen. There may be distractions at home. There may be other things going on for Daryl Gurney. That’s meant it’s just not happened for him this week. It was disappointing to see, and that’s not Daryl’s game.”

Gurney won’t have to wait long for a chance to show his true level again. He’s back in action on Friday at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead. In round one he faces fellow Northern Irishman Brendan Dolan, an opponent he knows well and one who may give him extra motivation to repair his recent image.

It’s a big moment for Gurney: will he prove that the Grand Slam was just a blip, or will the downward trend – in both performance and attitude – continue? Edgar is certain about one thing: the version of Daryl Gurney we saw in Wolverhampton was not the one the darts world is used to.