GERWYN PRICE and Daryl Gurney were involved in angry backstage scenes after their World Matchplay bust-up.
The pair on Monday night with the
But with Gurney having to be restrained by security as did his post-match interview with talkSPORT.
Damian Vlottes, from the Dutch Darts Draait Door podcast, said: “Gurney was literally at the door with his head round the corner.
“Two security guards had to hold him back. He clearly wanted to confront Price again. He came in swearing.”
Former top player Vincent Van der Voort added: “He was ready for a nice, friendly chat!
“He was absolutely fuming. Still insisting he did nothing wrong, that it was all on Price.
“I only spoke to Daryl afterwards. All he said was, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ He was angry, really angry. There was no calm conversation. He made it clear he’s not a fan of Price.
“But I imagine Price would say the opposite. There’s so much emotion involved. I don’t mind it though, adds spice to the sport. As long as it doesn’t turn physical, this sort of tension has its place.”
The players have history of aggro and the contest, won 10-7 by Price, became more feisty as it progressed.
Gurney was clearly winding up the Welshman with mocking gestures and facial expressions. Price responded with his typical super-loud leg-winning celebration roars.
The first flashpoint came immediately after the match concluded.
Vlottes said: “He gave him the handshake, very firmly. I thought it was a fantastic moment to watch. Then Price said something, Gurney looked taken aback and stormed off the stage. You could see how intense it was.
“You could tell Gurney was already starting to wind things up. Constantly provoking.”
Van der Voort added: “There was a bit of mimicking, body language... you could feel the tension rising between them.
“He was at it throughout, gesturing, little games. That’s fine. But to blow up like that straight after the match... clearly a lot of bottled-up frustration. It’s unfortunate, but at least we’ve got something to talk about now.”
Despite the incident dominating social media and on Sky Sports, Price asked not to be questioned about Gurney in the post-match press conference.
Vlottes continued: “No questions about it were allowed. We had plenty lined up, but we were told not to ask. That wasn’t the journalists, it was the PDC’s decision.”
Van der Voort added: “That’s where they fall short, in my opinion. It’s a shame. Sport is emotion, and this sort of thing happens in every sport.”
Price did touch on the subject, saying: “I’ve learnt to try and keep my emotions in tact at key points sometimes. I did today in two or three legs where my head was going to blow off. I just had to keep it in.”
Price did later post on his Instagram story: “Have to be careful these days I’m down to light cruiser weight.”
In amongst all the aggro, Michael van Gerwen made a light-hearted attempt to calm down the situation.
Van der Voort said: “He came out of the players’ room, he had to play next and said, ‘Come on lads, calm down’ in the corridor.”
It’s not the first time the pair have clashed, they have had previous rows in the Premier League which started at Sheffield in 2019 and had to be separated by security on that occasion.
