Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen are on a collision course to face each other in the PDC World Darts Championship semi-final.
Price and Van Gerwen are both on the same side of the draw and will be pitted against each other in the last four if they both overcome those in front of them. The pair have a rich and fiery history with each other.
While most of the focus has been paid towards 17-year-old darts prodigy Luke Littler, darts fans will have the many battles Price and Van Gerwen have had at the forefront of their minds. Wales Online looks back on the rivalry between the pair.
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Price’s apology for almost hitting Van Gerwen
In the 2020 Premier League darts campaign, tempers flared when Van Gerwen and Price faced off against each other in Liverpool. The former would emerge victorious in a tense match that would end 7-5 in his favour.
Yet it would be remembered for Price almost sending a dart into the side of his opponent’s head. Van Gerwen had barely finished collecting his darts from the board when Price threw his first arrow of the leg.
It only just missed Van Gerwen’s head and while the Dutchman was not too angry about the incident, the entire darts world was surprised by what they saw. The Iceman apologised for what happened immediately, but Van Gerwen shrugged it off, stating the ex-rugby player was doing the same thing in their previous encounter in the UK Open Final.
Van Gerwen slams Price's nonsense threat
Price has always had a troubling relationship with the Alexandra Palace crowd, who regularly jeer and boo him. This reached a boiling point in December 2022, when he emerged onto the Ally Pally stage with a gigantic set of ear defenders during his match with Gabriel Clemens.
Price would then say that he was considering not turning up to play, saying: ” I was a bit apprehensive; I didn’t know what would happen. I was sat in my house at 6 o’clock [on Sunday] and probably wasn’t going to play the tournament.”
However, Van Gerwen did not believe this threat, describing his comments as “nonsense”. The Dutchman also added: “With all due respect, Gezzy can also blame himself a little bit for getting all the boos. If you keep doing this to the crowd, then you’re going to get it and I keep telling him that.”
Price responds to Van Gerwen ban plea
The PDC responded to Price’s ear defenders incident by banning the use of them completely. This news may have pleased Van Gerwen, as the Dutchman previously said players should not be allowed to wear them.
Price eventually responded to both Van Gerwen and the news by saying: “I wore the ear defenders once and I won’t be wearing them again. It’s best left at that if I’m honest with you.
“I’m not a fan of in-ear plugs that Mervyn King wears. I’ve just got to grin and bear with whatever comes my way like I have the last couple of years, and just play darts.”
Handshake snub
Not long after almost impaling Van Gerwen with his dart, Price would find himself on the losing side of their clash in Liverpool. Disappointment was etched on the Iceman’s face, while Van Gerwen was fist-pumping and celebrating his result.
As the Dutchman approached him for a post-match handshake or fist bump, Price turned his back and went to his table instead. Van Gerwen persisted and the pair did eventually have a brief embrace on the stage.
Yet, it was another example of the pair’s frosty rivalry playing out in front of thousands in the arena and millions watching at home.
A rare agreement
With the popularity of darts continuing to grow, there has been talk that the PDC World Darts Championship could be moved abroad, where wealthy backers like Saudi Arabia may be waiting. Considering his history with the Ally Pally crowd, there was little surprise that Price supported the decision to move the competition abroad.
He wrote on Instagram: “Maybe it’s the way forward, less drunken hooligans that aren’t fans, causing fights, that turn up once in a blue moon. It spoil/dictates the outcome of the game in what’s the most important event of the year for the players. If you want that atmosphere there’s four months of it with the Premier League. People can still enjoy themselves without alcohol.”
Van Gerwen agreed with his Cardiff counterpart, saying: “[It] will be great, I think. They wanna make sports big in that country. You saw the big boxing games there, the football there. For me, I don’t mind where I play. I will be competing, and that’s how it is.”
Autograph refusal
Another subject which united both Van Gerwen and Price was sly autograph hunters. Both of them were approached by fans in Manchester in April, where they were asked for autographs and pictures.
While they both posed for selfies with fans, the pair refused to sign anything. Van Gerwen was heard saying “only photographs please” and “I know what you do with them”. Price was then heard telling a fan: “I won’t sign but I will have a picture. I don’t sign anything.”
When a video of the incident was posted, Price said: “I’m so happy this has been posted. These people are the reason we don’t sign things and are the people that spoil it for the real darts fans. What you don’t see is hands and bags full of merchandise….and also this guy is filming from a pair of glasses unknown to the players. Goes to show what sort of people are out there.”
