Gerwyn Price has won his last six matches against Luke Littler and does not want that record to stop any time soon, especially in the Premier League.
Price’s most recent win against the reigning world champion came on Night Six of the Premier League in Nottingham when the ‘Iceman’ stunned Littler 6-3 in the final to win his second title of the season and move up to third place in the table with 12 points.
It extends Littler’s wait for a win against Price and stands the Welshman in good stead as the table gets ever tighter.
While Price insists that he approaches playing Littler no differently to how he plays other opponents, he does believe Littler is in a lot of players’ heads and he could also now be affecting the 18-year-old.
“It doesn’t make a difference to me,” Price said. “It will make a difference to him.
“I play Luke like I play every other player. He’s just another number to me. I think that’s where my strengths are.
“I don’t worry about who I’m playing, whether it’s Luke, either of the Lukes [Humphries], Michael [van Gerwen], anybody.
“I just go up and play my own game and don’t worry about any other player, whereas other players, I think probably Luke is in their head a little bit. I might be in Luke’s head a little bit.
“But I just turn up and play. It doesn’t matter who I’m playing.”
While Price ended his Night Six win over Littler by declaring the world No 2 to be a player who is becoming unstoppable, he hopes his winning record against him will continue.
Indeed, he had to wait a long while himself to eventually secure a win over Van Gerwen and he hopes he can cause the same angst for Littler, who faces Nathan Aspinall in Thursday’s quarter-final.
“I just think he’s brilliant but I don’t think it’s anything that I’m doing. I just think it’s the way he’s thinking at the minute,” he added.
“It took me a while to get a win over Michael van Gerwen and then when I did, everything was fine. Hopefully he doesn’t get that win for a while.”
Cardiff atmosphere is ‘on another level’
An added element for Price is that, when he walks out for Thursday’s quarter-final against Rob Cross on Night Seven, he will have the extra pressure of the hometown Cardiff crowd behind him.
That means he will be more focused than ever on giving the spectators something to cheer about.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure on me tomorrow, which I put on myself, not on anybody else. Because I want to go out and perform for the Welsh crowd and give them something that they can cheer for,” Price said.
“It’s just pressure that I put on myself. I don’t want to go there and lose the first round and not give something back to the crowd.
“They’re going to enjoy the night no matter what but if I’m still in, still playing really well, get to the final and even win it, I’m sure the crowd will be right behind me and enjoying it a little bit more.
“I just put pressure on myself, that’s all. Nothing from anywhere else.
“Cardiff is another level. When I go there, they’re right behind me. When they’re singing, the atmosphere is brilliant.
“It is one of the smaller venues in the Premier League, which sets the atmosphere aside again.
“I’m looking forward to it. I only get it once a year so fingers crossed it will be the same tomorrow.”
Where does the Premier League head next?
The Premier League continues on Thursday March 20 from the Utilita Arena in Cardiff as Luke Humphries faces Michael van Gerwen. Watch Night Seven of Premier League Darts in Cardiff, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action from 7pm – stream with NOW.
Sky Sports will once again be the home of the Premier League in 2025, with every night exclusively live along with the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more! Stream darts and more top sport with NOW
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