'Was he? I'm not sure': Gerwyn Price appears to remain coy about Daryl Gurney 'mocking' at World Matchplay

Gerwyn Price insists he was completely unaware of any mind games from Daryl Gurney during their recent clash. Speaking to DartStream Live, Price brushed off suggestions that Gurney had been trying to get under his skin whether coy or not.

Price was duly noted as not being allowed to speak about the incident after the game which took place at the Winter Gardens with much conjecture surrounding it all and whether 'The Iceman' should've been given the platform to air his views. Afterwards Vincent van der Voort also fanned the flames by saying they had to be kept apart and the handbags so to speak continued backstage.

“Was he? I’m not sure,” Price said when told Gurney had been mocking him behind his back after each throw. “No, I just play darts, give it large at the end, and finish the game.”

Told the gamesmanship was visible on camera, Price replied: “That’s nice of you – I didn’t see that.” He added that the firm handshake between the pair at the end of the match was simply followed by: “Well done, buddy. Well played.”

The Welshman is a regular visitor to the World Series events in Australia and says he has no intention of changing that. “As long as I’m invited to the World Series, I’d never turn them down,” he said. “I know a lot of players think the schedule is quite busy and these are probably the times to miss tournaments – which is probably right – but if I’m invited, I’ll always come down.”

Price admits Australia has been one of the friendlier places to play throughout his career, especially compared to his early days in England. “England was tough for me to crack – obviously, not being English, being Welsh, that’s always tough,” he explained. “But whenever I came to Australia or New Zealand, they seemed to be welcoming, which is nice. The scene in the UK and all over Europe now this year has been great for me as well.”

The 39-year-old has no set timeline on how long he’ll continue competing at the top level, but says form and enjoyment will be the deciding factors. “As long as I’m enjoying it and playing well… if I drop outside the top 16 and I’m not enjoying it or playing well, then maybe I’ll pack it in. But as long as I’m enjoying it and playing well, that’s all that matters.”

Having started his darts career later than most – following a professional rugby career – Price still feels there’s plenty left in the tank. And with the changes to World Championship prize money, he knows a big year-end run could see him reclaim the sport’s top spot.

“That goes for a lot of players,” he said. “The ranking points for the Worlds are huge – a million points. If you’re in the top eight with a good back end to the year, any of those eight could be world number one.”