Price Breaks Premier League Record in Manchester to Seal Second Nightly Win

Gerwyn Price powered to a second nightly victory of the 2026 Premier League Darts season with a trio of stunning performances in Manchester.

The Iceman produced a staggering nightly average of 107.63 and missed just seven of his 25 attempts at the outer ring, sweeping past Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting and Gian van Veen – all via a 6-2 scoreline.

The 41-year-old's nightly average surpassed the previous record, which he set on Night 3 in Belfast in 2022, when he pinned two nine-darters on the same night.

His average of 107.53 that evening had stood as the benchmark for 1,505 days, but he bettered it by 0.10 in Manchester to set a new record of 107.63 – a remarkable achievement across the night.

Price also remains the record holder for nine-darters in the Premier League with five, having produced two on the same Manchester stage in 2024 and 2025.

This victory sees Price take the maximum five points, a £10,000 winners' bonus, and propel himself into second place in the standings, just two points behind league leader Luke Littler.

Price following victory in Manchester (Photo by: Taylor Lanning/PDC)

Price’s Route to Victory

The Welshman began his evening with a 6-2 quarter-final victory over World No.2 Luke Humphries, posting a 104.46 average and an impressive 85.71% (6/7) on the doubles.

A huge victory that opened up a five-point swing between himself and top four rival ‘Cool Hand’, who could have closed that gap to one point with a win.

Following that, the former World No.1 and World Champion delivered his strongest performance of the campaign, averaging 112.91 and landing four maximums in a 6-2 semi-final triumph over Stephen Bunting.

Bunting, to his credit, averaged 106.66 in defeat but ran into another outstanding display from Price.

As pundits continued to wax lyrical about Price’s poise and control throughout the evening, he sealed all five points with a third consecutive 6-2 victory, this time over Gian van Veen in the Manchester final.

Price averaged 105.84 and nailed six of his nine attempts at the outer ring in another controlled and dominant display to secure an 11th nightly victory in this Premier League format.

Quarter-Final Roundup

In the opening quarter-final, World No.8 Stephen Bunting claimed a 6-3 victory over Michael van Gerwen. The Bullet raced into a 5-0 lead before the Dutchman threatened the ultimate fightback with three consecutive four-visit legs. 

However, Bunting saw out the game with a 15-dart hold of throw to seal victory, despite averaging just 95.70 to MvG’s 104.07 – 8.37 less than his opponent.

Price then progressed to the semi-finals with a convincing 6-2 victory over Luke Humphries. He landed huge checkouts of 167 and 135 en route to picking up two points and securing a huge win over a play-off rival.

Gian van Veen ended home hopes with a 6-5 victory over World No.1 Luke Littler in a frosty encounter. Littler celebrated the Dutchman missing a match dart, but after missing a further two of his own, van Veen stepped up to pin double six and seal victory. 

Words were exchanged on stage, as the World No.1 suffered his first quarter-final defeat since Night 4, while van Veen registered his first win since that same night in Belfast — and his first since recovering from kidney stone surgery.

Josh Rock completed the semi-final line-up with a second consecutive victory over Jonny Clayton. Rock defied a 107.44 average from The Ferret to seal a 6-4 victory, with finishing proving the decisive factor. 

The Northern Irishman was 6/11 on the doubles compared to Clayton’s 4/15. Remarkably, Rock’s two wins in nine nights have both come against the Welshman, following his breakthrough victory over Clayton in Berlin last week.

Semi-Finals and Final

In the first semi-final, Price produced his most impressive display of the campaign to brush past Stephen Bunting 6-2 and reach a third final of the 2026 event so far.

The opening four legs were shared, with Price landing the ‘big fish’ 170 checkout, followed by a Luke Littler-style reeling in celebration. From 2-2, the Iceman found another gear to close out the final four legs and book his spot in the final, averaging 112.91 to Bunting’s impressive 106.66.

Joining Price in the Manchester final was Gian van Veen, who defeated Josh Rock 6-3 in a battle of the debutants in this year’s Premier League.

After six legs, there was nothing to separate the pair; however, huge finishes of 126, 80, and 160 in the final three legs saw van Veen progress to his fourth final of the campaign.

In the final, Price was not to be denied, having fallen short in the Night 8 final in Dublin.

The Iceman surged to a 6-2 rout of his young Dutch opponent — his 11th win in 13 meetings against the World No.3. He averaged 105.84 and nailed six of his nine attempts at the outer ring to wrap up a five-point haul in Manchester.

Stories from the Night

Price Closes Gap at Top

Gerwyn Price’s impressive outing in Manchester saw him wrap up a trio of 6-2 victories, producing ton-plus averages in all three matches.

This crucial five-point haul sees him leapfrog fellow Welshman Jonny Clayton into second place and move just two points behind league-leader Luke Littler heading into Brighton.

It was the Iceman’s 11th nightly victory in this Premier League format across its four outings, an impressive return as he looks set to make The O2 for the third time in four years.

Currently, the numbers Price is producing are better than those during his time as World Champion and World No.1, indicating major honours may not be far away, should he continue in the same vein, playing with the same relaxed and confident demeanour.

Van Veen Impresses

Just two weeks ago, Gian van Veen was hospitalised for kidney stone surgery, forcing him to withdraw from Night 8 in Dublin.

Arguably, he was not fully fit to return last week in Berlin, but to his credit, he showed up and delivered a steady performance.

However, tonight showcased the class of the 23-year-old. He not only defeated home favourite Luke Littler 6-5 in his opener, but then followed it up with a 6-3 win over fellow debutant Josh Rock to reach the final.

Remarkably, that marked van Veen’s fourth final of the campaign — more than any other player this season. He was denied by a rampant Price, but his three-point haul lifts him above Luke Humphries and to within one point of fourth-placed Michael van Gerwen.

An extraordinary effort given his recent medical situation, and to be a genuine contender for The O2 on debut is hugely impressive from the reigning European Champion and World No.3.

Littler Conduct vs Van Veen

A small stain on the proceedings in Manchester was a on-stage feud between Luke Littler and Gian van Veen in the deciding leg of their quarter-final encounter.

Littler missed a match dart before van Veen missed one at double 15, which the World No.1 celebrated — a moment that the Dutchman understandably took issue with.

Littler then missed two further match darts, and after more gesturing and words exchanged, van Veen stepped up to pin double six and seal victory.

A classy response from The Giant, while The Nuke was left wanting. Such unsportsmanlike conduct does not befit the status of the sport’s leading player. Littler must do better and learn to take defeat with the same grace he often shows in victory.

League Table Implications

Following his second nightly victory, Gerwyn Price moves into second place on 19 points with a staggering +23 leg difference. He sits just two points behind league-leader Luke Littler.

Price’s fellow Welshman and World Cup-winning partner Jonny Clayton sits in third, despite back-to-back quarter-final defeats to Josh Rock in his last two outings. The Ferret is also on 19 points and remains in a healthy position, seven points clear inside the top four zone.

Michael van Gerwen occupies the final play-off spot in fourth place on 13 points, despite losing to Stephen Bunting in the opening quarter-final in Manchester.

Gian van Veen moves to within one point of his fellow Dutchman following his fourth final of the campaign, impressively leapfrogging Luke Humphries into fifth in the process.

The World No.2 slips to sixth place following his third consecutive quarter-final exit. The reigning Premier League champion now has work to do if he is to make Finals Night at The O2 once again in a bid to retain his title.

Stephen Bunting remains in the chasing pack in seventh place; The Bullet sits on nine points, just four adrift of Michael van Gerwen in fourth.

Meanwhile, Josh Rock remains at the foot of the table. However, another two points earned tonight with a second consecutive win over Jonny Clayton are showing signs of his talent as he looks to have settled on the Premier League stage now.

Looking Ahead

Gerwyn Price is a player who looks increasingly likely to produce the big numbers right now. A second nightly victory, a 107+ average for the night, and three convincing wins underline what was the most dominant nightly display of the campaign so far.

Following his victory, he admitted,

“I was chasing two points first and foremost in my first game against Luke (Humphries).”

“It was a tough game. I started with two big checkouts, which settled me into the game, and then I played really well against Stephen, who I also thought played well.”

“I don’t think Gian was really on his game in the final, but you just feel sometimes that you can’t miss, and that’s how it felt tonight.”

Those words reflect the confidence and relaxed state Price finds himself in right now, and in this mood, the rest of the field will have to be on guard as he hunts down a first Premier League crown.

The Premier League continues next week in Brighton at The Brighton Centre for Night 10, as the battle for those top four spots intensifies heading into the second half of the campaign.