Peter Wright has backed himself to go all the way at this year’s World Darts Championship; He does not believe favourite Luke Humphries will lift the big prize; Watch the World Darts Championship until January 3 live on Sky Sports
Last Updated: 13/12/23 11:20am
Two-time world champion Peter Wright is backing himself to make another final and is ready to put on a show in pursuit of a third world title.
Wright spoke exclusively to Sky Sports ahead of the World Championship and has been delighted by the extra days he has received to work on his sets in preparation.
“It gives me plenty of time to try and find out what I’m going to use because I’m the worst dart player in the world for knowing which darts to use (and) which set up and stuff like that,” said the 2022 world champion.
“I think I’ve got it down to three sets at the moment, so that’s good.
“Obviously I’ll take probably all three sets because of the practice I do there, and then I get to the venue with all the nerves and the adrenaline inside you,” Wright added.
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Peter Wright was off to a flying start against Dave Chisnall as he cleaned up 131.
“That dart I thought I was going to use might go right out the window and be absolutely useless. And so I’ll have another set of darts there, or it might happen on stage, you know, I might not be able to hit the trebles like I want to, so I’ll pick out another set of darts anyway.”
It’s been a good year for darts and many find themselves in contention to take this year’s crown, none other than Luke Humphries. But when asked his thoughts on ones to watch and his predictions on who will come out on top, Wright was not favouring the world No 3 for this tournament.
“Well, there’s so many players playing really well. Obviously you’ve got Luke Humphries, you know, tearing up and winning all the majors at the moment. Is he going to do it in the World Championship? Personally, I don’t think so, but that’s just my opinion.
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Peter Wright hit three impressive finishes against Ryan Searle, including 167, 158 and 121 finishes.
“Then obviously you’ve got Michael Smith who does brilliantly there anyway, but an outsider – he’s not really an outsider outsider – but I think, Nathan [Aspinall]. I’ve said at the beginning of year, or the middle year Nathan Aspinall will be in a final with me, so hopefully we can do that.
“If I don’t win it, it will be one of the other guys like Gexzy (Gerwyn Price) or Michael van Gerwen or Rob Cross, the guys who have won it before, who were on that stage. Yes, it’d be the most experienced person going to go and win it.”
Wright has experience in winning this competition having clinched the title twice; in 2020 and 2022 and he shared what it takes to come out on top.
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Luke Humphries takes out a 91 finish to defeat Rob Cross 16-8 and win his first Grand Slam of Darts title.
“A lot of luck, a lot of skill, a lot of practice and a lot of belief in your own ability. (Also having) a good backing from your family and your friends.”
Wright: Prostate cancer a ‘silent killer’
World Darts Championship sponsors Paddy Power have committed to supporting charity Prostate Cancer UK, by donating £1000 for every 180 hit. Wright expressed the importance of spreading awareness for the cause and was optimistic about raising a million pounds for the charity.
“Yeah, you know, we have to get the word out there. It’s a very quiet sort of killer, isn’t it and especially a guy my age, I’m over 50 now, I’m gonna go and get tested,” Wright said.
“I don’t want to be knowing down the road that I’ve got prostate cancer; I’d rather go and get tested. It’s only a blood test, so yeah, it’s quite easy.
“I think it would be very close to a million. Everyone’s improved, so yeah, I think we’ll score more 180s. So that’s you know, £1000, every 180s hit from all the players.
“So, it might actually cause some players to switch when they’ve got two treble 20s, they might switch to a treble 19 or something. So, knowing that it’s gonna be £1000 towards prostate cancer, then they might actually go for the 180.”
Watch the World Darts Championship from December 15, 2023 to January 3, 2024 – live on Sky Sports. Stream your favourite sports and more with NOW