Gerwyn Price admits he gets the first round jitters – and they are even worse when he faces a fellow Welshman.
Price will be bidding for back-to-back triumphs at Night Eight of the Premier League Darts in Newcastle on Thursday night.
The Iceman won in Nottingham last week to move up to second spot behind Premier League leader Michael van Gerwen after overcoming Chris Dobey in the final.
Price won 6-4, but felt his toughest test had come in the opening match against Jonny Clayton, when the Pontyberem man had his countryman on the ropes.
“I don’t know why but I always feel edgy in the first round of tournaments – whether it’s a round of the Premier League or the World Championships,” said Price.
“And I felt really edgy in that match against Jonny. But, thankfully, I managed to come through it and then settled into the night and played well.
“I knew I was playing well, I have been playing well for the last couple of weeks, and thankfully I won. If I hit my doubles, nine times out of 10 I think I’ll win games.
“The last couple of years the crowd have been on my back but they have been fantastic with me [this year]. If the crowd are behind me it shows I can play good darts and win nights.
“Hopefully this is momentum for me for the rest of the season. Losing will knock Michael [Van Gerwen] back a bit, especially 6-0. It will hurt Michael – and I hope it hurts!”
Price’s night in Nottingham featured a trio of 6-4 wins, firstly over compatriot Clayton in his quarter-final, then Van den Bergh in the last four and finally Dobey.
The draw has thrown up a repeat of the all-Welsh opening quarter-final tie at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, with Price and Clayton going at each other again.
The quarter-finals for next week’s leg are determined by the current standings – and, as it turns out, will be an exact repeat of the fixtures in Nottingham, with runaway league leader van Gerwen facing rock-bottom Peter Wright and sixth-placed Dobey taking on third-placed Smith.
Fourth-placed Nathan Aspinall takes on fifth-placed Dimitri Van den Bergh.
Both Price and Clayton have admitted in the past that they sometimes find their contests uncomfortable, not least because they pair up to represent Wales together at the World Cup of Darts, which they won together in 2020.
Night 8, Thursday March 23
Utilita Arena, Newcastle
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
QUARTER-FINALS
Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright
Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price v Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith v Chris Dobey
