Gerwyn Price was involved in a heated exchange with opponent Daryl Gurney after the Welshman sealed a 10-7 win in their World Matchplay first round clash in Blackpool.
The pair shared a robust handshake after Price closed out the win on double 12 before Gurney appeared to take issue with his rival’s celebrations on stage.
Gurney had fallen 6-2 behind but gave himself hope by winning the ninth leg and celebrated by mimicking Price’s trademark fist-pumping.
The Northern Irishman moved within one dart of levelling the match at 8-8 before Price, the 2022 finalist, held his nerve to pull away and seal victory.
Michael van Gerwen was far from his best as he completed a gruelling 10-6 win over his veteran Dutch rival Raymond van Barneveld.
Van Gerwen, a three-time winner, capitalised on a series of missed chances by his opponent and conceded he took little satisfaction from his performance.
“I made it so difficult for myself and when you make it difficult it’s a hard game,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports.
“From the position I’m coming from, I didn’t play a lot of tournaments, and that makes it hard. We all know I’m a winner, I hate losing, and I think it’s the start of something nice.”
In the opening match of the third day of the tournament, sixth seed Chris Dobey pulled away to complete a 10-5 win over Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko.
