Wales opened their World Cup of Darts campaign with a 4-1 win over Lithuania in Frankfurt, and Jonny Clayton finished it in style. Clayton and Nick Kenny took control of the Group C tie against Darius Labanauskas and Mindaugas Barauskas, with Clayton landing a 146 checkout and then a tops, tops finish to seal the victory.
That opening result matters because Wales arrived in Frankfurt needing a fresh pairing to carry the load. Clayton had twice won the World Cup with Gerwyn Price, but Price was unavailable for selection again, so Kenny stepped in as the seventh seed and produced a debut that gave Wales immediate momentum in the June 11-14 event.
Clayton did not hide his satisfaction afterward. He said he enjoyed every second of it and praised Kenny’s passion, calling him fantastic and stressing that pulling on the Welsh shirt means everything to him. He added that when Wales put that shirt on, it means everything and that there is more to come from the pair.
Wales were not the only side making a clean start. Germany beat the Philippines 4-0 in Group A, with Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko averaging 101.9 in a straight-legs win over Alexis Toylo and Paolo Nebrida. Ireland beat Singapore 4-1 in Group D, while the United States edged Australia 4-3 in Group G after Australia pulled the score back to 3-3 before losing in the decider.
Hong Kong also caused a stir in Group B, beating Belgium 4-2 as Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee upset sixth seeds Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh. Ireland’s win carried its own place in the event’s history, with Willie O'Connor and Mickey Mansell becoming the first player ever to represent two nations at the World Cup of Darts after switching allegiance from Northern Ireland.
The wider lesson from the opening round is simple: the tournament is already rewarding the teams that start fast, and Wales have given themselves that chance. The harder question now is whether Clayton and Kenny can turn one sharp win into a run deep enough to make Price’s absence feel less costly.
