Gerwyn Price was somewhere close to his brilliant best on Friday morning, taking a comfortable win over
Danny Noppert to keep his hopes of
New Zealand Darts Masters success alive.
Price was unstoppable. The world number four recorded a 105.64 average, two 100+ finishes and a 75 percent finishing percentage. Against that, Noppert put up an average of 97.19, but it proved enough for just one leg.
After the first three legs went with the darts, Price posted his first break in the fourth leg with a 122 finish. The throttle was then stepped on a little further. A 13-darter and an 11-darter made for a 5-1 lead, before Price closed extremely nicely with a 132 finish for the match.
In the semifinals, 'The Iceman' will take on former world champion
Rob Cross, who beat Jonny Tata with great difficulty. Tata had pulled off a shock in the first round by eliminating Peter Wright and was close to another surprise. Tata came back to 5-5 after a 5-3 deficit, but then Cross won the deciding leg with a 74 finish.