"I’ve beaten them all before and they’ve beaten me": Confidence 'sky high' for James Hurrell in PDC World Darts Championship bid

James Hurrell admitted he was left exhausted after battling his way through a gruelling contest at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, describing the match as one where he once again “made everything hard work” for himself.

Hurrell was forced to dig deep as the sets ebbed and flowed, but he found a way to come through when it mattered most at the PDC World Darts Championship against Stowe Buntz.

“Oh, tired,” Hurrell smiled afterwards post match. “I just make everything hard work for myself. Everything went against me — the first four sets went against the darts, three sets went against the throw — and I was just saying to myself, ‘Come on James, get this. Your darts, your set, win it.’”

Hurrell acknowledged that the match demanded far more physically and mentally than his victory over Jim Long at Alexandra Palace last year. Experience, he felt, played a big part in the challenge he faced this time around.

“Well, it was more tiring,” he said. “I knew it was going to be harder, to be fair, because Stowe’s been here, what, three or four times before? He’s a bit more experienced than I am here, to be honest. So yeah, I knew it was going to be hard.”

Despite the difficulty of the contest, Hurrell’s confidence is clearly growing, underpinned by a strong year on the ProTour circuit and the prospect of securing his PDC Tour Card for another season.

“Yeah, a lot of confidence now,” he explained. “Hopefully I’ve sealed my tour card for next year. Hopefully I have, yeah. That just takes all the pressure off now, so yeah, it’s good.”

Looking ahead, Hurrell knows there will be no let-up in the next round, with either Dirk van Duijvenbode or Andy Boulton waiting. Preparation, however, will remain unchanged. “Same as any other match, really,” he said. “I’ve beaten them both and they’ve beaten me, so yeah — all good.”

The match itself had its edgy moments, but Hurrell was keen to stress that any visible frustration was directed inward rather than at his opponent.

“Yeah, I had no problem with Stowe,” he insisted. “It was just my game. It was tiring. I made it hard work for myself and I kept losing my throw, but yeah, all good in the end.”

One unexpected ally during the match was Double 10, a finish Hurrell does not usually favour but which came up trumps when it mattered.

“Usually Double Top’s my favourite,” he admitted. “I hate Double 10, but yeah, it came to me in the end.”

Hurrell also pinpointed the factors behind his strong form during the latter part of the season, citing improvements away from the oche as much as on it.

“Headspace, going out for long walks, fitness and practice,” he said. “I’ve put a lot more practice in. I practised with Luke Woodhouse a few good times before this, so yeah.”

Playing the final match of an evening session brought its own challenges, with a long day to navigate before finally stepping on stage. “Yeah, I didn’t really know what to do with myself early on today,” Hurrell revealed. “The missus sorted it out — we chilled out — and yeah, it was all good.”

As for what success would look like at this year’s World Championship, Hurrell is refusing to place a ceiling on his ambitions, even while acknowledging the difficulty of the task ahead. “Sky high,” he said. “I’ve beaten them all before and they’ve beaten me. I can win it — it’s going to be hard work, obviously — but yeah, all good.”