Despite averaging 97.14 and nailing 60% of his darts at a double, Gerwyn Price did not feel quite at right on the oche, pinning it down to him forgetting a crucial bit of kit ahead of his 6-3 win over Scott Williams in the second round of the Dutch Darts Championship.

‘The Iceman’ began on the front foot, taking out 106 to break against the former PDC World Darts Championship semi-finalist. Williams got the break back a couple of legs later to level at 2-2.

That was short-lived, as ‘Shaggy’ missed on the outer ring and allowed Price to strike. This time it was a definitive blow. A 112 checkout extended his lead to 4-2 as he took full control. Normally a dangerous presence on stage, Williams was unable to muster up his best game. Price made sure to finish him off on his double 10 to complete a fine win.

The former world champion was the first one up in the evening session and already knows his third round tie. He will face Niels Zonneveld with the home crowd set to give him a tough time on the oche.

Preparation for contest made more difficult

Following the win, Price unveiled the trouble he endured ahead of the match. Darts players are used to having routines to follow precisely beforehand to get them match ready. The Welshman is one to keep in his own space, listening to music ahead of him wandering onto the oche.

This time, he could not do that, as he explained. "I prepared as well as I could have, but it's the little things, you know. I like to listen to a bit of music and chill out while I'm practising. I forgot my earbuds, so I was sat there listening to everybody talking.

“It's different, you know. I said to my missus, ‘I don't feel right. I don't feel comfortable, and I don't feel like I'm ready.’ And it showed. If I don't prepare properly, I'm not the best version of myself. So, yeah, tomorrow I'm going to buy some headphones and prepare a little bit better. Today just felt a little bit weird, and I'm just glad to get through the game.”

Price is one of the most successful players in European Tour history, having won 10 titles. The latest came this year at the European Darts Grand Prix. However, he has never tasted success on Dutch soil. From Germany, Hungary and even Gibraltar, Price has laid his mark, but there was still another major country in terms of darts to win on.

The confidence was flowing, and he was in belief that this weekend could see him seal an 11th title on the European Tour. "I'll tell you what, I'm in some good form. Obviously, that game — yeah, just forget about that one. A win's a win. But I'm in some good form," he commented.

"I'm in form to win some good tournaments, some big tournaments, and I know this is a stepping stone towards that. With a great crowd like today, I mean, it was a massive crowd. The atmosphere was great, and they were good for both me and Scott today, which is good. Hopefully, they'll all be behind me tomorrow."