'Now I need to lift that trophy' - Gerwyn Price immediately sets sights on World Matchplay after Euro Tour title win

Gerwyn Price was full of emotion after sealing the Baltic Sea Darts Open title on Sunday night, hailing both the result and the crowd in Kiel as he moved level with Peter Wright on the all-time list of European Tour winners.

The Welshman defeated Gary Anderson 8-3 in a scrappy but effective final, finishing off a weekend of solid form and timely resilience as he claimed the £30,000 top prize.

“I think I played pretty well all weekend, so I’m really chuffed,” said Price in his post-match interview afterwards. “Gary wasn’t at his best in the final and obviously I can play better, but I’m just really pleased to get over the line and get another European Tour title under my belt.”

It was far from a vintage final, with both players missing key doubles in the early stages. After a nervy opening exchange, Anderson briefly edged in front at 2-1, but Price responded strongly, including key checkouts on double 10 and tops, to claim the title. But it was the atmosphere in Kiel and the momentum gained heading into the World Matchplay that seemed to matter most to Price.

“I can’t put into words how much it means to win this, especially in front of such a fantastic crowd,” he said. “I needed some ranking points leading up to the back end of the year, so this £30,000 definitely helps!”

With the summer’s biggest major on the horizon, Price has made no secret of his ambitions for Blackpool — where he finished runner-up to Michael van Gerwen in 2022. “I’ve lost in the final before, so now I need to lift that trophy,” he said. “I won in Poland, I reached the semi-finals and final on the ProTour, so to come here and win definitely puts me in good stead ahead of the World Matchplay. I’m playing really well at the moment, but it’s all on the day. There are so many good players in the tournament, so anybody can win it.”

On this evidence, Price has every reason to believe his name could be on the Phil Taylor Trophy this time around.