Price Makes Belgian History with Night 2 Triumph in Antwerp

Gerwyn Price made Premier League history in Antwerp, sealing five points and the Night 2 victory in the competition’s first visit to Belgium.

The Iceman continued his fine form from the Pro Tour to register his tenth nightly victory in this format, as the AFAS Dome was treated to a world-class evening of action.

Price began his evening with back-to-back deciding leg victories over Gian van Veen and World Cup partner Jonny Clayton.

He then dominated the final against last week’s winner Michael van Gerwen, securing a 6-3 win and landing a 104.44 average and four maximums en route to victory.

The Welshman has hit a strong vein of form right now, and a happy and content version of himself on stage bodes well for the rest of his campaign.

Gerwyn Price celebrating after his Night 2 victory in Antwerp

Dominance Against Elite Opponents

Price’s route to the title proved significant when you look at the opposition he triumphed over, with him showing a growing authority over some of his elite opponents.

In the quarter-finals, he trailed World No.3 Gian van Veen 4-2 and survived a match dart at bull before sneaking a 6-5 win. Whilst he was not at his fluent best in the contest, he defeated the young Dutchman once again, his ninth victory in ten meetings against the 23-year-old.

For a player widely viewed as one of the sport’s brightest stars, that statistic speaks volumes about Price’s standing in the game as he came out on top once again against the reigning European Champion.

However, even more staggering is the Iceman’s record against his fellow Welshman and World Cup partner Jonny Clayton.

Price averaged 100.87 and sealed a 6-5 victory against Clayton in the second semi-final, making it sixteen victories in their last seventeen encounters.

A truly mind-boggling record for two players so close to each other in the rankings, and to maintain that level of head-to-head dominance over two elite players is worth sitting up and taking notice of.

The former World Champion and World No.1 repeatedly finds ways to win games against his fellow elite opposition and get the job done.

Final Control Over Van Gerwen

In the final, Price underlined just how on form he currently is. While the scoreline read 6-3, the contest felt more one-sided than that suggests.

The Iceman’s scoring power offered him more than double the number of attempts on the outer ring compared to van Gerwen, who, outside of brief flashes, couldn’t match the Welshman’s consistency.

The Dutch No.2 was forced into checkouts of 160 and 167 to collect two of the three legs he managed against his opponent.

A 104.44 average, four 180s and 40% on the outer ring proved a statement performance in the money match. Having thrashed his Dutch rival 6-0 on the Pro Tour on Tuesday, he proved too strong for Mighty Mike once again.

To his credit, van Gerwen has now reached both finals in the Premier League so far and sits top of the table after two nights, picking up eight points following his victory in Newcastle last week.

However, in Antwerp, he had to settle for second best after victories over Josh Rock and World No.1 Luke Littler.

Key Stories from Night 2

Elsewhere, the evening in Belgium delivered plenty of subplots.

A high-quality opener between the world’s top two featured fourteen maximums between them, but it was a familiar story, with back-to-back World Champion Luke Littler coming out on top in a deciding leg 6-5.

Luke Humphries has now lost seven of his last eight meetings with Littler, registering his last victory against the 19-year-old in May 2025, defeating him 11-8 to lift a maiden Premier League title.

However, the Nuke has a stranglehold on their head-to-head record right now, and it’s a psychological hurdle that Cool Hand must overcome to restore some order and return to winning some of the biggest honours.

Elsewhere, Stephen Bunting endured another frustrating outing in the Premier League. The Bullet raced into a 4-0 lead against Jonny Clayton; he appeared in complete control before the Welshman reeled off six straight legs to seal a 6-4 turnaround.

While Clayton’s level impressively rose in that six-leg spell, it coincided with Bunting dipping in standard and missing some key opportunities to get over the line. It is now a second week in a row that the Liverpudlian has let a lead slip, after leading Michael van Gerwen 2-0 last week before going onto lose 6-2.

A worrying trend that the World No.7 will want to snap out of, as it took him until Night 9 in Berlin last year to land his first victory. He will be hoping history does not repeat itself, or his O2 dream will be over before it's even begun.

Concern also must lie with Josh Rock. The 24-year-old averaged just 79.34 in his 6-2 defeat to van Gerwen, the sixth-lowest average in Premier League history. Now pointless after two nights in his debut campaign, he admitted post-match that he simply couldn’t grip his darts on stage.

A night to forget for Rocky, and it doesn’t get any easier with the world’s top three in Humphries, van Veen and Littler to come in Night 3, 4 and 5 for the Northern Irishman. He will be looking to make a statement soon and prove that his inclusion in this showpiece event has not come too early in his career.

How the League is Shaping Up

Just two nights into the 2026 campaign, but there are already some interesting takeaways from the table.

Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting sit eighth and seventh, respectively, both pointless after two nights.

Surprisingly, the world’s top two sit outside the play-off spots in fifth and sixth, with two points apiece after one semi-final exit each in Newcastle and Antwerp.

In fourth place is debutant Gian van Veen, currently on three points following his run to the final in Newcastle. Despite an early exit tonight to Price, it still represents a solid start for the young Dutchman.

In third place, Jonny Clayton has won back-to-back quarter-finals before exiting at the semi-final stage, picking up four points in total so far.

Michael van Gerwen sits at the top of the league phase after two nights. The Dutchman reigned in Newcastle and was runner-up in Antwerp, picking up an impressive eight points so far and making as many nightly finals as he did in the entire 2025 campaign, incredibly.

However, in Belgium, the narrative belonged to one man.

Price surged to second in the table. After last week’s quarter-final exit to Humphries, the Iceman left Antwerp with the maximum points tally and the £10,000 winners’ bonus, following an impressive series of performances across the night.

After victory, he told PDC.tv: “I think I’m playing some of the best darts I’ve ever played, I’m just not winning tournaments, but that will come. If I keep playing the way I am, there’s no way I won’t pick up a major title.”

The league phase topper in 2023 certainly looks sharp once again, and not many would bet against him being a firm challenger for this title come Finals Night at the O2 in May.

If this version of the Iceman continues, it may be ominous for the rest of the Premier League field in trying to keep pace with him.

Night Three Fixtures - OVO Hydro, Glasgow

Thursday February 19

Quarter-Finals

Stephen Bunting v Gian van Veen

Luke Humphries v Josh Rock

Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler

Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price