''The heat in Frankfurt is ridiculous'' - Jonny Clayton fears conditions in venue at World Cup of Darts

Jonny Clayton suddenly had a late change to his preparation for the World Cup of Darts with Gerwyn Price withdrawing due to health problems. He will now partner Jim Williams, but it isn't the only aspect he needs to face.

Price and Clayton have invariably formed the Welsh team at the World Cup of Darts for the past six years. They took Wales to the final three times and twice Price and Clayton got to take home the big cup.

Wales' last success was in 2023, but Clayton will now have to try with compatriot Jim Williams to defend the Welsh title. "''The World Cup of Darts brings different pressures with it, and there’ll be some players who’ve never experienced that before. It’s hard enough playing singles and if you lose then you only let yourself down, but here you’re playing as a team and you have the pressure of not wanting to let down your playing partner and your country,'' Clayton said in a preview for Betvictor.

Clayton is therefore curious to see how top favorite England handles this extra pressure. In the English team, world champion Luke Humphries makes his debut. Humphries will play together with Michael Smith.

''It’s Humphries’ first time playing in the World Cup. It’s a different atmosphere and even though he’s probably one of the best players in the world, it’s a different type of pressure. It’ll be interesting to watch.''

Frankfurt's Eissporthalle is used as a skating rink in the winter, but cold temperatures are never an issue at this tournament. The hall is known by the players as scorching hot. According to Clayton, the players do everything they can to get something cool.

“The heat in Frankfurt is ridiculous,” said Clayton. “We were playing with ice-cold towels around our necks just to try and keep cool. It was so hot, not to mention the lights on stage which really didn’t help the situation. You have to take it in your stride and in the end it’s nice to have that kind of weather.”

Wales is the number two seed at the World Cup of Darts. So as one of the top four nations, Clayton and Williams do not have to compete in the group stage. They will play their first match in the knockout phase on Saturday, when the 12 group winners of the group stage joining the four top nations in the last 16.