You don’t need to know much about darts when watching Van Gerwen to sense a rare talent at work. He still only has one world championship to compare to Phil Taylor’s imperious 16 titles, but not even the greatest darts player in history can match the surreal euphoria generated by Mighty Mike. Buntz took out 137 for a 2-0 lead and then stole the third leg when Wright missed two darts at double, before the Scot reduced the arrears by at last getting on the board. Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Gerwyn Price swept aside Nathan Rafferty 5-1 in his Group D opener, in a contest which saw the pair trade spectacular 164 and 167 combination finishes. I remember that first time against Phil in 2008. I had a chance to beat him but before you can know how to win the worlds you have to learn how to lose it.” Beau completely outscored me in that match. She was fantastic; she's a credit to the women’s game and a credit to darts as a whole." If it wasn't for a mid-match blip against Stephen Bunting, his journey to the final would have looked like an absolute procession.

Dartboard with a difference

It should be a fantastic game against Josh. He is a phenomenal player,” claimed Van Gerwen, a winner of the World Grand Prix in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2022. He later added: "There were a few days at the weekend when I wasn't 100 per cent sure but that's why I played. My specialist told if I played, I could make it worse. But if I played then I needed rest and when I played I needed to keep my arm moving smoothly and that's what I did. I’ve been getting great support over the last couple of months and it is showing on the board. I know I’m playing well and I’m putting players under pressure. A shy waitress explains that linguine is pasta and Van Gerwen’s brooding expression suddenly lights up. “OK,” he says. “Spaghetti bolognaise. I’ll have that. Soup and spaghetti bolognaise.” Van Gerwen was left less than impressed by the turn of events, which follows on from his Dutch compatriot Vincent van der Voort having also tested positive and being forced into isolation. “Of course our health is the most important thing, but you are here to win the tournament,” Van Gerwen told the Dutch media outlet AD Sportwereld. “I never saw this coming. Vincent and I have been almost nowhere. We didn’t even go to the breakfast room [at the hotel], because we thought it was too busy there.

Never expected this outcome as I thought I did everything in my possibility to avoid it. Also ain’t got any symptoms. Earlier, Peter Wright was well below his best in a 5-1 defeat to US qualifier Stowe Buntz, who averaged 102 – more than 20 points higher than his opponent.Van Gerwen replied with another leg but the deficit was too much to recover as Price finally finished things off to claim his eighth Euro Tour title. This really is a frightening standard from van Gerwen as scores of 120, 97, 140, 128 leave him 16, which he takes out at the first attempt for a 13 darter. He's averaging just a shade under 100 right now.