Birmingham felt the chill last Thursday when Gerwyn Price skated through a high quality field to claim his third nightly title of the season at the Utilita Arena. The Welsh powerhouse beat Luke Humphries six four in a semi final then produced a clinical display to dismiss Michael van Gerwen in the final securing maximum five points and tightening his grip on a play off berth.citeturn1search8

The Iceman now returns to the second city for Night Thirteen aiming to become the first player to win back to back nights since Van Gerwen achieved the feat in twenty seventeen. Confidence is flowing after he topped the one hundred average barrier in every match and registered ten maximum scores across twenty nine legs. Price credited a switch to slightly longer dart points for improved stability on the treble bed and promised that the “best is still to come.”

Standing in his way first up is Stephen Bunting who will be fresh from a ProTour final in Wigan and eager to spoil the party. Should Price progress he is projected to meet Nathan Aspinall or Rob Cross in the semi finals both players desperate for points to stay in the top four hunt. That dynamic could open doors for Price to tighten stranglehold on third place and maybe reel in Humphries for second.

Local ticket sales surged after Price’s triumph with promoters confirming the event as a sell out. Whether the Midlanders will embrace the Welsh star or root for an upset remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: if Price maintains the blistering form he showed six days ago the mercury inside the arena may struggle to rise above freezing.