Gerwyn Price admitted he did not feel quite right on the oche during his 6-3 second-round win over Scott Williams at the Dutch Darts Championship in Maastricht — and he pinned it on forgetting a crucial bit of kit. Despite averaging 97.14 and nailing 60% of his darts at a double, 'The Iceman' revealed afterwards that the preparation mishap had left him unsettled.
On the board, Price began on the front foot, taking out 106 to break against the former PDC World Darts Championship semi-finalist. Williams got the break back a couple of legs later to level at 2-2, but that was short-lived as 'Shaggy' missed on the outer ring and allowed Price to strike. A 112 checkout extended his lead to 4-2 as he took full control, and Price made sure to finish him off on his double 10 to complete a fine win. Normally a dangerous presence on stage, Williams was unable to muster up his best game.
Following the win, Price unveiled the trouble he endured ahead of the match. "I prepared as well as I could have, but it's the little things, you know. I like to listen to a bit of music and chill out while I'm practising. I forgot my earbuds, so I was sat there listening to everybody talking," he explained. "It's different, you know. I said to my missus, 'I don't feel right. I don't feel comfortable, and I don't feel like I'm ready.' And it showed. If I don't prepare properly, I'm not the best version of myself. So, yeah, tomorrow I'm going to buy some headphones and prepare a little bit better. Today just felt a little bit weird, and I'm just glad to get through the game."
Price is one of the most successful players in European Tour history, having won 10 titles, the latest coming this year at the European Darts Grand Prix. However, he has never tasted success on Dutch soil — from Germany, Hungary and even Gibraltar, Price has laid his mark, but a win in the Netherlands still eludes him. The confidence, though, was flowing, and he believes this weekend could see him seal an 11th title on the European Tour.
"I'll tell you what, I'm in some good form. Obviously, that game — yeah, just forget about that one. A win's a win. But I'm in some good form," he commented. "I'm in form to win some good tournaments, some big tournaments, and I know this is a stepping stone towards that. With a great crowd like today, I mean, it was a massive crowd. The atmosphere was great, and they were good for both me and Scott today, which is good. Hopefully, they'll all be behind me tomorrow." The former world champion was the first one up in the evening session and already knows his third-round tie: he will face Niels Zonneveld, with the home crowd set to give him a tough time on the oche.
