Welshman Gerwyn Price has won darts’ world championship, beating Scotland’s Gary Anderson 7-3 in the final to earn his biggest career victory since swapping a career in professional rugby for the ever-more lucrative pub game.
Price, 35, earned a lucky break to take the first set after Anderson had missed three darts and he proceeded to outclass the more experienced Scot to take a 6-2 lead in the showpiece at an empty Alexandra Palace, which was missing the usual hum of boisterous supporters due to coronavirus restrictions.
But Price lost his composure in the ninth set, squandering 11 match darts before eventually clinching the championship in the 10th with a double five after Anderson had also been wasteful and passed up three chances to win the set.
𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗪𝗬𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 🏆
He becomes the World Number one and the first ever Welsh PDC World Champion, beating Gary Anderson 7-3 to win his first world title 🏴 pic.twitter.com/QyOpJCrbAZ
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 3, 2021
Price, who had grown increasingly frustrated with each clinching dart he had wasted, bowed his head in a release of emotion when he finally sealed victory, pocketing £500,000 ($887,000) in prize money in doing so.
“I’ve never ever felt pressure like that in my life,” said Price, who becomes world No.1.
Anderson, a two-time winner is now also a three-time runner-up.
Price played rugby in the Welsh Premier League until quitting in 2014 to fully focus on darts after earning his place on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) as a qualifier.
🗣 “𝙉𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜.”
Hear from your CHAMPION Gerwyn Price as he becomes World Champion and world number one just seven years after securing his tour card at Q-School! pic.twitter.com/G305gmXY3v
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 3, 2021
The two players had a frosty relationship in the past, with Anderson accusing Price of deliberately slow play after losing the 2018 Grand Slam of Darts to him and declining to shake his hand.
But there was no ill-feeling on this occasion and Anderson admitted he had been well beaten.
“I just could not get the darts. My doubles were atrocious and that’s what happens when you do that, you get thumped,” he said.
