“As smelly as it sounds...” - Gerwyn Price spills his superstitions and takes cheeky swipe at Jonny Clayton ahead of World Grand Prix showdown

Gerwyn Price booked his place in the World Grand Prix quarter-finals with a convincing 3–0 victory over Ross Smith, avenging his recent defeat to the Englishman in the World Series of Darts Finals final. Despite the emphatic scoreline, the Welshman was far from impressed with his own performance.

That recent loss to Smith added some extra tension to their latest meeting. “Probably because of losing to Ross last week, I put a little bit too much pressure on myself today,” Price said in his post-match press conference, where DartsNews.com were present. “Even though I played all right, there were patches where I was trying too hard and just not on my game.”

It made little difference to the result, with Price advancing to another major quarter-final without dropping a set. “But I still won, and a win’s a win,” he said. “Regardless of the performance, being in the quarter-final of any tournament is pretty decent.”

Price stopped short of describing it as a revenge mission, although he made clear that success in this ranking event carried more weight for him than the non-ranking tournament in Amsterdam. “Last week wasn’t a ranked event, and you really want to do well in these ones,” he explained. “So I’ll give him last week, and if I win this one, happy days. I want to win everything, but this one’s a little bit more important.”

Next comes a quarter-final against compatriot and World Cup teammate Jonny Clayton. The two Welshmen know each other inside out and have previously met in a World Grand Prix final. Price expects to feel more relaxed when they return to the stage.

“To be honest with you, I think I’ll probably be a little bit more relaxed in the next game,” he said. “I don’t know what it was in that game. I’m usually edgy in the first one, and I wasn’t, but this one felt like a first-round game. I was a lot more edgy.”

He could not resist a playful dig at his good friend, either. “I said on stage that Jonny smashed me up in this tournament a couple of years ago in a final, but I also said that he got lucky in the first round this year,” Price added. “Hopefully he doesn’t get lucky in the next one!”

Price is not dwelling on the big names who have already been knocked out. “I don’t care about other players,” he said. “There are so many good players left in this. Jonny played brilliantly, took his chances and took some big shots out to beat Wes, who’s been playing brilliantly in the floor tournaments.

“Regardless of Luke being out or Michael being out, it’s still a tough tournament to win,” he continued. “I’ll just concentrate, step by step, on my own game.”

The meeting with Clayton also guarantees Welsh representation in the last four. “I think it’s special to Wales. Regardless of who wins the game, we’re going to have a Welshman in the semi-final of another massive major,” Price said. “Whoever comes through, it’s going to be great for Wales and great for darts as well. Jonny’s one of the top players in the world, and I like to think I am as well.”

Price has been returning home between matches, with superstition playing a part in that routine. “I’m superstitious. When I do one thing once, I have to do it again,” he explained. “I sit in the same chair, at the same table, all the way through the tournament. And as smelly as it sounds, I don’t change my top. Not very often, anyway!”

He offered an equally straightforward explanation for his improved results. “I started playing well. If you don’t play well with the field that’s here now, you go out early,” Price said. “At the end of the day, form goes up and down, and you find a purple patch. My form is coming back, and that’s all it is. I’m just playing well.”

Despite beating Smith 3–0, Price remained critical of the standard of their match. “Ross didn’t play brilliantly, and neither did I. The W means more than anything,” he said. “I wish I’d kept him to no legs. That’s what I aim to do.”

As for that long-awaited next major television title, Price was unwilling to get ahead of himself. “No, I’m in a quarter-final. I was in the final last week!” he replied. “Another two, and then I’ll be quite close. But one day it will come.”