It wasn't all doom and gloom for Gerwyn Price despite the heartache of a World Cup final loss with Wales, as he clinched a coveted spot in the Grand Slam of Darts.

Price and his Welsh team-mate Jonny Clayton were edged out in a nail-biting final leg by Northern Ireland. Yet, by defeating the Netherlands to reach the final, both Welsh darters have guaranteed themselves entry into November's prestigious Grand Slam of Darts.

It is especially poignant for Price, who expressed last year how much it pained him to be absent from the Wolverhampton tournament after failing to qualify in Leicester. A three-time champion in prior years, missing the competition had been a bitter pill to swallow.

Now with assured participation in the 2025 Grand Slam, Price said: "That was one of my aims this week and probably why I played so rubbish in the semi-final, knowing that it would get me in the Grand Slam. Then I relaxed a little bit in the final, but things didn't really seem to happen. Probably due to the pressure of these [NI] boys throwing treble twenties for fun against us and we were up against it.

"We got it at 9-9. We gave ourselves a chance, but they were a little bit better than us and they deserve it."

Price and Clayton were magnanimous in their defeat to Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney after playing a pivotal role in what was an enthralling match, ultimately being edged out in the nail-biting finale. A huge moment came with missed opportunities in the crucial 13th leg that swung the momentum.

The ex-World champion, who had not participated in the tournament the previous year, reflected: "I mean, we started off really slowly and we were trying to get into the game. It was really difficult. But we got ourselves in front. I think the leg to go 8-5 up was a crucial leg for us. And then we find ourselves 8-7 behind. But testament to the Irish team, Josh was scoring unbelievable.

"We probably couldn't keep up with him. Last leg, I banged a 180, I thought: We got him back. Then he hits a 177 and I'm like: Oh, yeah, fair play. Gave him a high five. At the beginning of this tournament, I predicted Wales-Ireland final. I just predicted we would win. But fair play to them. They were fantastic."

Clayton also shared his partner's gracious attitude towards the victorious Irish team and expressed his joy at reuniting with his team-mate. He commented: "Fair to Josh and Daryl. That last leg, oh my God, didn't they get off the blocks. We got it back to 9-9 and tried our best. Gezzy carried me, to be fair. I struggled starting off.

"We gave it all. We get on great. It's nice to see him back in Germany! To be fair, he's just classy. I'm a proud man to be a captain here and to have a team-mate like this, oh, my God, awesome."

This article originally appeared on the .