'There was a lot of machismo up there' - Wayne Mardle and Mark Webster had 'no problem' with tense Price-Gurney fracas
PDC
Gerwyn Price said that he needed to be more composed and felt like he played pretty poorly despite averaging over 100 in a fiery counter against Daryl Gurney, which the Iceman came out on top 10-7. There was tension throughout and at the end of the game, with the pair clashing before going off stage.
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The Iceman thought he was 'struggling' throughout the tie, but was satisfied with a ton average and said that there was 'a lot more in the tank.' "To be honest, I thought I was struggling for that game," Price said speaking to Sky Sports after the game. "But I came off and seen the stats and I averaged around 100 I think, which is decent. I felt like I was pretty poor in our game in patches and didn't play particularly well, and there's a lot more in the tank."
'Gave myself a kick up the backside'
Despite what he thought to be a poor performance, the former World Champion 'kept himself composed' while restricting what emotions came out. "I just felt like I needed to keep myself composed. Sometimes I was forcing not to let my emotions get the best of me and sometimes that's what happens and I can let out the emotions out and then the next leg is not so good, so sometimes I try and control it and I did in that game."
Price is known to be a fiery character on stage, but seemed to keep that under wraps until he reached the finish line, where he finally let out his emotions. He said: "I think possibly that's what got me over the winning line is just trying to keep everything intact and then let it go at the end."
"For a lot of legs I was beating myself up, missing opportunities, I did a big score and I did absolute rubbish and just sort of kept him in the game. I went to the table and I felt like the 150 was going out and it did, and it just gave myself a kick up the backside as well to just break him here now and get the match done, and I did. I have learnt to keep my emotions intact and I think I did today in two or three legs where my head was going to blow off, but I just had to keep it in."
Heated conflict overshadowed brilliant game
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Tension boiled over at the end of the game between the two World Cup finalists, and not for the first time between them. Despite the conflict, Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle admitted he had 'no problem' with the reactions from both players, adding there was a lot of 'machismo' on stage.
"Daryl Gurney didn't like a reaction from Gezzy [Price], so he kind of mimicked Gezzy's reaction. Gezzy didn't like his mimicking of his reaction, and kids will be kids," Mardle said. "It's all childish. At the end when it kind of got a physical handshake, I think it's better than cuddling to be fair. It's professional sport. I haven't got a problem with it at all. There was a lot of machismo up there."
Fellow pundit Mark Webster went on to say 'that's the type of characters they are', adding that they are 'feisty' on the oche. "Gerwyn Price was taking [issue with] Daryl Gurney's mimicking of him," Webster said. "They're feisty characters aren't they? Let's not take away from what was a brilliant game. Price kept it in check until he got that winning leg and Gerwyn Price gets the last laugh. That's the type of characters they are. I think Price said 'well played, buddy'."
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(VIDEO) Tempers flare as Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney in post-World Matchplay needle after fiery contest #darts #dartsnews https://t.co/7OFbNXqVQK
— DartsNews02 (@DartsNews02) July 21, 2025
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Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
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- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
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- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026