SHAKE IT OFF
Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price snub handshake after fiery World Darts Championship semi with Welshman storming out
ANGRY Peter Wright roared "your minds games didn’t work" after he and Gerwyn Price snubbed a handshake following their fiery semi-final.
The Scot emerged a 6-3 winner against the Welshman, who stormed out of the Ally Pally, in a feisty William Hill PDC World Darts Championship clash.
4
4
Yet there was plenty of aggro on the oche, with Wright and Price trying to wind the other up in the early stages.
Neither player made the effort at the end to acknowledge their opponent and Price left the arena without speaking to the media.
Wright, 49, who lost to Price in last month’s Grand Slam final, claims the Iceman’s comments in the practice room had wound him up.
Rather than unsettle him, they only motivated him to play better.
Snakebite said: “Before the match we wound each other up. He said he would win the first two sets.
“I thought Gezzie was better than that. I like him, but didn’t appreciate what he did.
“I focused and concentrated. That’s why I didn’t celebrate.
“He wanted me to concentrate and I did just that – and he lost!
4
“His averages weren’t that good for a guy who wanted to get to the final. They were nowhere near me and I didn’t play my game.
“It all spurred me up. It wound me up on the dartboard. I got him back.
“I played the Grand Slam final against him where he was untouchable. I wanted to give him a better game.
“We ran out of toilet paper in the break. So maybe the lack of handshake was because we hadn’t washed our hands!”
Wright is in his first world final for six years – in 2014 he lost to rising star Michael van Gerwen – but vowed to go one better this time on New Year’s Day.
The Scot added: “I played rubbish. I have to play better to win this and I think I will.
“I won’t throw away my chances again. I am more mature now.”
Inevitably, these two pals were nervous and edgy for one of the biggest matches of their careers.
4
The sheer number of missed darts for doubles in the first leg illustrated how much tension there was up on that stage.
The match went with throw until the fifth leg when Wright superbly broke Price with an 11-dart 81 checkout.
Wright had settled better, given his greater experience and age, and his average of 104.03 was almost 15 points better than misfiring Price.
As the pair went off for the first TV break, Wright tried to engage with Price and even gave him a cheeky glance, but both times he was ignored.
Clearly there was needle between these two, not helped by the pre-match jousting about stuffing each other 6-0 in this semi-final.
The Iceman, 34, was nowhere near his best, nowhere near the standard which had made him so appealing with the bookmakers.
But somehow he managed to steal the second set – and then made a point of celebrating close to Price.
It was a clear tactic to unsettle the Scot and he continued in similar vein when he took out the third set with a 100 finish.
We ran out of toilet paper in the break. So maybe the lack of handshake was because we hadn’t washed our hands!”
Peter Wright
Wright whitewashed Price in the fourth set to restore parity at 2-2 but the pair walked off without any instances of shenanigans.
Price, who had tried to quicken the pace, missed darts in the fifth set and Wright capitalised to move 3-2 ahead.
In the sixth set, there were bounce-outs, dropped darts, and it was Price who levelled at 3-3.
Price should have moved 4-3 ahead but uncharacteristically messed badly up in two successive legs, opening the door for Wright to take advantage.
The set averages in that seventh set were 103 for Wright and 88.57 for Price, highlighting how incredibly low he had slumped.
England and Everton keeper Jordan Pickford downs pint, beats chest and dances on a chair as he parties at the darts
Darts news
This was not the usual high-octane Price and his average of 78.80 for the eighth set was the sort of figure that would embarrass even the worst of BDO players.
To shoot that in the semi-final was unacceptable, especially at such a key juncture, and Wright progressed with the madhouse finish of double one.
The Price was not Right this time but Wright will fancy his chances.
Topics