Gerwyn Price, never one to do things quietly, turned a missing suitcase into a minor mythological moment on Saturday night, as he pinched the Superbet Poland Darts Masters title from Stephen Bunting’s grasp with a double-double finish that could’ve closed Broadway.
Cheered on by 9,000 Polish punters in Gliwice’s PreZero Arena – who were collectively louder than Chris Mason’s shirt – Price averaged a casual 103, because apparently doing anything below ridiculously good is now beneath him.
The Welshman edged Bunting in a final-leg shootout that had all the tension of a treaty negotiation – only with more facial expressions and fewer diplomats.
The evening marked a rerun of their Bahrain Darts Masters final from January – but this time, Price brought a different ending and a fresh pair of shoes.
Bunting, meanwhile, brought the drama, the finishes, and unfortunately for him, the role of valiant runner-up.Things started brightly for Bunting, who built a 4-2 lead while casually swatting away a 137 finish from Price like it was a pesky wasp at a picnic.
But the Welshman then remembered he’s a former rugby player and decided to bulldoze five of the next six legs to go 7-5 up. That should’ve been that, but sport – especially darts – insists on being complicated, and Price obligingly missed three match darts just to keep things spicy.Bunting, never one to miss an open invitation – too many shared curries and carveries to leave that joke out – levelled things and left himself on tops in the decider.
Unfortunately, Price wasn’t in the mood for polite endings. Instead, he checked out on 91 with an audacious double 17 followed by a double 20 – the darts equivalent of doing a backflip into a mic drop.Speaking to Dan Dawson on stage afterwards, a relatively pleased Iceman said:
“I’m over the moon. To go double-double while Stephen’s perched on a finish – it was class. I was missing chances, I was fuming, I went into the break sulking. But, you know, standard stuff.”
And in what might become a marketing campaign for budget airlines, Price revealed the entire Polish adventure began without his luggage.
“Lost the lot. Clothes, darts, shoes – all gone. It happened in Ireland too. I changed everything and won the Grand Slam. So here we go again – new darts, new shoes, new me.”
It’s getting to the point where a lost suitcase sweepstake could make interesting conversation if it starts trending on the circuit.
Rewinding the clock, Price’s title charge began with a solid dismantling of local youngster Sebastian Bialecki, before he went full Terminator on Chris Dobey with a 6-2 thrashing, averaging north of 104 just for fun.
Then came a semi-final triumph over Rob Cross, where Price won seven of the last eight legs to emphasise – it’s not how you start, it’s all about how you finish.Bunting, for his part, wasn’t exactly on holiday either. He nailed a 150 checkout in a nerve-jangling win over Polish World Cup skipper Krzysztof Ratajski, before clinically disposing of teenage sensation Luke Littler in the semis.
It’s not often you see the reigning World Champion defeated heavily, but The Bullet was more than worthy after a captivating display. That left the 40-year-old to go Bunting hunting – seeking a third World Series title of the year. But Price’s impudent ending turned his treble hopes into a footnote.
Cue the sponsors entering stage right with two trophies identical in design. It was almost like they knocked up the runners-up one and decided to just double the size for the bloke who wins. Still, they looked nice enough.
Forever humble in both victory and defeat, the Liverpudlian was full of admiration for his opponent – whilst internally cursing. This is what he had to say to Dan Dawson:
“I really enjoyed the weekend. You can’t give Gezzy chances. That double-double – I told him it was unbelievable. Mostly because it was.”
Reigning Poland Masters Champ, Littler, who arrived armed with both hype and heavy artillery, lit up Saturday night with back-to-back 170 checkouts against Aspinall and Bunting. He saw off The Asp with a 104 average before Bunting put the brakes on his run in the semis.Elsewhere, Rob Cross managed to sneak past a rather wasteful Michael van Gerwen in a 6-4 win, as the Dutchman played a game of how many doubles can I miss before it becomes performance art?
But the night belonged to the enigmatic Welshman, who is looking as sharp as ever – proving you don’t need your own clothing, footwear, or darts to win tournaments. There’s always a way.
The World Series next heads to Australia and New Zealand – Wollongong and Auckland to be precise – as the 2025 tour reaches its climax.
Now, who hasn’t arrived without their suitcase for a while? Let’s hope that isn’t the headline Down Under.
