Gerwyn Price believes Luke Littler’s rise is exactly what darts needed ahead of the teenager’s Premier League debut on Thursday.
The 17-year-old earned a spot in this year’s eight-player invitation series on the back of his fairy-tale run to the PDC World Championship final and has followed that up with a triumph at the Bahrain Darts Masters and an appearance in the Dutch Darts Masters final.
Price was beaten by Littler in the semi-finals of both of those non-ranking World Series events and the 2020 world champion has been impressed by what he has seen of the darting sensation both on and off the oche.
“I think it’s brilliant,” Price told Sky Sports’ Love The Darts podcast. “Don’t get me wrong, it is added pressure when you’re playing him. He plays well every single time and I think he’s brilliant for darts.
“He’s a good youngster, he’s down to earth, and I think at this moment in time it’s probably what darts needed. It’s a little kick up the backside and will get more people a little more interested and motivated to watch – I think it’s fantastic.
“I just love the way he is around the practice room. He doesn’t really engage with the players, keeps himself to himself and just gets up there and plays darts and plays darts well. He’s brilliant, but I will beat him soon.”
Even if he does not end up facing Littler this time around, Price knows there will be plenty of expectation on him from the home crowd at the Motorpoint Arena on Thursday – particularly as he is the only Welshman in the Premier League this year.
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Gerwyn Price says the Premier League is his main priority as he looks forward to Night 1 in Cardiff
Last year’s Premier League runner-up faces Nathan Aspinall in his opening match in Cardiff, with the winner taking on either Peter Wright or Rob Cross in the semi-finals.
Price, who won six tournaments on the Pro Tour and European Tour along with partnering compatriot Jonny Clayton to victory in the World Cup of Darts in 2023, admitted his game has not been in the best shape recently.
But after a surprising third-round defeat to Brendan Dolan at the World Championship, the 38-year-old hopes to show he can perform when the pressure is on in front of his home supporters.
“I’m really looking forward to Cardiff,” Price said. “I’ve got a few friends that are going down and obviously a load of my family goes, so it’s that added pressure as well.
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Brendan Dolan took out some big finishes as he shocked Gerwyn Price and dumped the Welshman out of the World Championships
“Sometimes I play my best when that pressure is on and I’m hoping for that this week. I know the atmosphere is going to be buzzing, it is everywhere you go in the Premier League, but especially for me in Cardiff.
“My game over the last couple of weeks has been off a little bit, especially my doubling. I’ve been practicing well the past couple of days, but fingers crossed.
“I’m struggling a little bit on the outer ring but it’s just one of those things. You have to ride the wave, so to speak, and that wave will end soon, and I’ll start playing well again.”
Premier League Darts returns to Sky Sports on Thursday February 1 as Cardiff kicks off the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs on Thursday May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW