The Professional Darts Corporation has insisted that Alexandra Palace’s rowdy atmosphere is “part of the event” after the world No 1, Gerwyn Price, took to the oche in ear defenders to block out booing during his quarter-final defeat against Gabriel Clemens on Sunday.
Price has said he may never return to the competition he won in 2021 after losing 5-1 against the German surprise package, but his behaviour has provoked debate over the effect a raucous crowd can have over players at even the highest levels of the sport.
The PDC confirmed that Price had made a written request to wear the ear defenders, a must under Darts Regulation Authority rules, and revealed that a number of players wear in-ear plugs to block out crowd noise. But the organisers said every player is also aware of the environment in which they are expected to perform.
“The atmosphere is part of the event and is something that all players are well used to,” a PDC spokesperson said. “PDC events are played under Darts Regulation Authority [DRA] rules [and] the relevant rule is 5.17.2 - ‘No headgear... shall be worn without the prior permission of the promoter following a written application from the player.’ Gerwyn had initially sought permission before his third-round game against Raymond van Barneveld, but opted on the day not to wear them.”
Van Barneveld is one of the elite players who have used in-ear plugs at the world championship, alongside Price – who used them at other points during his quarter-final – as well as Mervyn King and Gary Anderson.
The beginning of Price’s transformation into a pantomime villain for many darts fans is believed to have occurred during a match against Anderson in 2018. In the final of the Grand Slam of Darts that year Price exuberantly celebrated a crucial score of 174 in the face of the Scot, who subsequently pushed the Welshman away. Price was fined £21,500 by the DRA after they said the incident “drew an unprecedented number of complaints from members of the public”.
After his defeat to Clemens, Price wrote on Instagram: “So frustrating, you play all year round preparing for this one tournament. So gutted I wasn’t let [to] play but good luck everyone left in. Not sure I will ever play in this event again.” The 37-year-old subsequently appears to have deleted all posts from his account.
