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Topics: Darts
Jack Kenmare
Gerwyn Price has issued an update from the hospital waiting room after he was forced to withdraw from this week's Players Championship 24 event through injury.
The 40-year-old, who is currently ranked No.6 in the world, has produced some of his best darts this season, winning several titles including the Players Championship 9, the Poland Darts Masters, and the Baltic Sea Darts Open.
Coming into this week's Players Championship event in Milton Keynes, Price was one of the favourites to take home the PDC title.
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But on Monday, when the draw was confirmed, Price was missing from the fixture list.
A few hours later and the Welshman appeared to confirm that a severely swollen hand was the reason behind his absence. He posted an image of the injury alongside a caption that read: "Just what I didn't want, back to the hospital it is."
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On Tuesday afternoon, Price posted an update from a hospital waiting room. "Not a bed in sight," he wrote on Instagram, as seen above.
Jeffrey de Graaf, meanwhile, secured a historic title win at the Players Championship 24 on Monday, defeating Stephen Bunting 8-7 to become the first Swedish player to win a PDC ranking event.
After going behind 4-1, De Graaf won four consecutive legs as he secured a dramatic last-leg decider.
“It means a lot, it’s my first title ever in the PDC, so it’s fantastic,” said De Graaf. “In the beginning, I missed a few doubles, but I got it over the line. I'm still shaking."
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He added: “I’m happy to be the first [Swedish player to win a Players Championship title], but hopefully not the last. For me, this is massive […] it takes the pressure off me too, so it is great.”
De Graaf beat Adam Paxton, Ryan Searle and Jose de Sousa on his way to the final.
Away from darts, Price is a talented snooker player. He has a championship-sized snooker table in the basement of his home in Markham and often posts updates on his Instagram page.
Asked what his highest break was during an interview with The Guardian in December, he replied: “On that table? I’ve had a 96. Highest ever, 108. I won’t do a Shaun Murphy and lie about having a 147!”
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A few weeks later and the Welshman smashed his previous record of 108.
In fact, Price claimed to have made his first-ever 147 break, posting a clip of the achievement on Instagram alongside the caption: “When you make your first 147 break [shocked face emoji]. And my phone dies.”
Hitting a 147 break is considered to be one of the most difficult achievements in sport.