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Former rugby union prostitute Gerwyn Price, the first Welshman to reach the final of the world darts championship, and two-time champion Gary Anderson insist they will put past tensions aside when they face off for the first million dollar prize. of dollars.
Price lived up to his Iceman nickname as he came 1-for-3-1 to beat England’s Stephen Bunting by six sets to four in the first semi-final of the PDC world championships at London’s Alexandra Palace on Saturday (Sunday, time from New Zealand).
Luke Walker / Getty Images
Gerwyn Price of Wales in action during his victory in the semifinals of the world darts championship in London.
Scotsman Anderson, who beat England rival Dave Chisnall by six sets to four in the last playoff game, will play.
Price and Anderson clashed verbally when the Welshman won a short-tempered Grand Slam of Darts final at Wolverhampton in 2018, and the Scotsman accused his opponent of slow play and exuberant celebrations.
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Luke Walker / Getty Images
England’s Stephen Bunting (R) congratulates the Iceman, Gerwyn Price, after losing to the Welshman in the world darts semifinal.
When asked in a PDC Darts interview on Twitter after his win over Chisnall, how he expected the atmosphere to be in the final, Anderson said: “I’ll be quiet and he will be loud.”
But he acknowledged that Price “played well tonight.”
Price was also unfazed by the prospect of a rematch. “I have more experience now, it was a few years ago,” he said after beating Bunting.
“There was a little needle [then]but we are both professionals. I’m just going to go there and give it my all and play my game like I do every other time. ”
The 35-year-old, who won the World Grand Prix and World Series Finals titles in 2020, said in a post-game television interview that it was “the best thing I played this tournament, and I needed it.”
“Stephen was brilliant in his completion and he punished me.”
Price, who played rugby in the Welsh Premier League and had a brief stint in PRO12 with the Glasgow Warriors, won the first set, but Bunting, nicknamed The Bullet, took the next three before the Welshman mounted his comeback.
“I’m glad I played a little better and got through that game. I’m here to win this tournament and I have every chance of winning this tomorrow,” said Price, who felt he was “full of beans and full of confidence” after of his rally.
“I seem to find that little advantage when I need it and I think the better someone plays against me, the better I play.”
Anderson was too consistent in the second semi-final for the giant to kill Chisnall.
The 50-year-old from East Lothian won consecutive titles in 2015 and 16, but said he “had no expectations” in the past two years.
“But we got here … not bad,” he said on television.
Anderson was surprised to hear that he had averaged a little over 100 during the semifinal, and said he thought it would have been “77. “It felt awful,” he laughed.
Anderson hit 13,180 on his way to victory, but said he would have to “do a lot more” to win the £ 500,000 ($ 1 million) top prize on Sunday (Monday New Zealand time).
It will be the fifth final for Anderson, who joked: “Not bad, right? If you had told me that last month, I probably would have strangled you and said, ‘Don’t be silly.’ ”
Anderson said that while his average “said it was good,” he felt his performance against Chisnall included “a lot of loose darts.”
“If I do that tomorrow, it doesn’t look good.”
Chisnall, 40, caused a sensation by toppling three-time world champion and world number one Michael van Gerwen 5-0 in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
Luke Walker / Getty Images
Two-time world darts champion Gary Anderson from Scotland enters the arena at Alexandra Palace before his semi-final.
Anderson now has a chance to join van Gerwen in three wins.
England’s Phil Taylor, who retired in 2018, holds the record for 14 titles between 1995 and 2013.
The runner-up will earn £ 500,000 ($ 400,000) while Chisnall and Bunting, two companions who grew up in the Lancashire town of St Helens, each pocketed £ 100,000 ($ 200,000) for retiring in the semi-finals.
