Gerwyn Price has hit out at Beau Greaves after defeating Stefan Bellmont to secure top spot in his group at the Grand Slam of Darts.
The Welshman was excellent against Bellmont, racing into a four-leg lead before his opponent finally got on the board.
But Price only improved from there, hitting a 180 on his way to sealing the final leg.
The 'Iceman' had opened his Grand Slam of Darts campaign with a narrow defeat to Ricky Evans, before demolishing James Wade in his second group match.
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Price is now through to the last 16 in Wolverhampton, where he will face Martin Schindler.
After his victory against Bellmont, Price said: “Obviously it was a slow start.
“Gutted to lose the first game, but to come through and top the group, I’m happy with that.
"It was a nervy game, probably didn’t show it all the way through apart from towards the end when I was just trying to get the win.”
Price, who was ranked world number one on several occasions between 2021 and 2022, now sits 14th in the PDC Order of Merit.
However, he insisted he still has plenty to offer the sport.
But if he is unable to climb back up the rankings, it is unlikely he will feature in next year's Premier League Darts.
Price missed the event last year, while his previous appearance in 2024 ended with a disappointing seventh placed finish.
“I think I’m one of the best players this season,” Price said.
“Last year I was terrible when I was in it, but right now I’m number one on the ProTour and number one on the Players Championship list.
"If you look at money earned, I’m top five or six. So yeah, don’t question me, question everyone else.”
Price was then asked about speculation that Greaves, who has won a record-breaking 86 successive matches on the Women's Series, could be handed a Premier League spot.
He responded: “Yeah, I think that’s a bit of a joke, to be honest. I don’t know.”
The top four in the world rankings qualify automatically for the Premier League, while the other four places are chosen as wildcard entries.
Currently, the top four are Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting.
Both Humphries and Littler are assured of their places given their sizeable advantage in the rankings.
The next four positions are held by James Wade, Jonny Clayton, Gian van Veen and Chris Dobey.
Last year, the lowest ranked wildcard entry to the Premier League was world number 11 Nathan Aspinall.
Therefore, Price needs a strong end to the year if he is to have a chance of making the Premier League.
Topics: Darts
James Taylor