Gerwyn Price has sent a cryptic message after his PDC World Darts Championship semi-final defeat to Peter Wright, after a confrontational game with Snakebite.
The Iceman was beaten 6-3 as he turned in a surprisingly below-par performance, barely ever finding any rhythm and finishing with an average of just 89.94.
It was a thoroughly disappointing night for the Welshman who many were tipping to go all the way to the world title after thrashing Glen Durrant 5-1 in the quarter-finals on Sunday night.
Price had talked up his friendship with Wright ahead of the match, but things got a little heated early on after Snakebite won the first set and went to share a joke with the Iceman, but he was absolutely not interested.
It looked likely to be nothing, but when Price claimed the second set he was clearly over-celebrating in front of Wright to offer some retaliation.
The game was then played with a frosty atmosphere until its conclusion when there was no handshake between the players, something Wright bizarrely put down to there being no toilet paper backstage and not wanting to spread germs.
Later in the evening, Price posted on his Instagram Story something that it was a little hard to unravel: ‘Great tournament pity about the ending but I will learn, desperate measures to achieve a win…thanks for the support…see you all in 2020
‘Suppose I’ll be the bad guy once again #whatsnew’
“I like Gezzy, but I don’t appreciate what he done.”
A fiery interview from @snakebitewright who claims he “played rubbish” after his 6-3 semi-final win! ?
Watch the PDC #WorldDartsChampionship Semi-finals live on Sky Sports Darts and follow it here: https://t.co/TmzyZNnRuU pic.twitter.com/6LX194qV6o
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 30, 2019
Wright was unhappy with Price after the match, explaining that he was trying to continue a joke from backstage after the first set, and that the Iceman’s retaliation was uncalled for.
‘Before the match me and Gezzy were winding each other up,’ Wright told Sky Sports. ‘He said he was going to win the first two sets and I would change my darts.
‘I like Gezzy but I don’t appreciate what he done, but there we go.
‘It spurred me on, it wound me up and I did what I needed to do on the dartboard.
‘He wanted to have a joke downstairs and then not have one on stage. It’s not my problem.’
The incident will almost certainly be water under the bridge between the two men, with emotions just running high in an incredibly important match.
Wright now goes on to face Michael van Gerwen in the PDC World Darts Championship final on New Year’s Day in a repeat of the final from 2014, which MVG won 7-4.
The Iceman will be looking forward to some time off before returning at the Masters which gets underway on 31 January in Milton Keynes.
MORE: Peter Wright blasts Gerwyn Price for behaviour during PDC World Darts Championship semi-final
