GERWYN Price slammed the Alexandra Palace ‘cheats’ after having to stop play in his 5-4 defeat to Michael Smith in a World Championship thriller.

Defending champion Price had hit a nine dart finish in the second leg of set four, which was a third of the tournament overall and a record in any one World Championship – but Smith then took out 130 to level the match at 2-2.

The Iceman kept his cool to secure the fifth set with an impressive 108 finish and move ahead once again, only for Smith to respond once more as he claimed the sixth 3-0.

Smith, runner up to Michael Van Gerwen in 2019, looked to have the momentum, only to miss a chance to close out the seventh, which Price did on double top to move within a set of victory.

As tension mounted, Price paused mid throw during the fourth leg of the eighth set to ask for a heckler to be removed.

The 36-year-old from Markham, who has long been a pantomime villain on the PDC tour, has been the target of abuse throughout the tournament and posted an Instagram message saying “cheats” after the match.

South Wales Argus:

Once play resumed, the Welshman had two match darts, but failed to land either as Smith forced a decider.

An early break of throw and then a 126 check-out on the bullseye put ‘The Bully Boy’ on the brink before he clinched the set 3-1 to deliver a hard-earned victory over the world number one.

Smith hit 16 180s with an average of just over 101 and speaking to Sky Sports following his win, the ninth seed said: “I just kept saying to myself ‘just focus on everything you have been working on over the last 12 months’.

“I felt like I was in control and knew if I could produce it in the last set, then I would be OK then.”

On the heckling of Price, who is often the target of the boo-boys, Smith said: “Someone at the back kept shouting my name, and it was putting me off as well.

“As it was getting to a tighter game, Gezzy (Price) started hearing it more and more, but he has proved now for the last few years that he loves being the pantomime villain.”