The Iceman Delivers in Gliwice: Price Wins Poland Darts Masters Despite Travel Woes
- Darts Central
- Jul 5
- 6 min read
Gerwyn Price claimed the Poland Darts Masters title, his first World Series crown of the season and the fourth of his career.
‘The Iceman’ suffered a pre-tournament setback after arriving in Poland without his suitcase, forcing him to source replacement clothes and equipment. But the disruption didn’t derail him, as he delivered a string of superb performances to lift the trophy and pocket the £30,000 top prize.
Here’s how the final session unfolded…
Quarter-Final 1: Stephen Bunting 6-5 Krzysztof Ratajski
Ratajski made a confident start, building on his opening-round display to race into a 3–1 lead, and it could easily have been 4–0 but for a tidy 90 checkout from Bunting in leg three. From there, ‘The Bullet’ turned the tide with four straight legs as Ratajski began to falter on the outer ring.
Ratajski forced a decider with an 18-dart hold, followed by a 14-dart break, capitalising on a missed match dart at the bull from Bunting. But in the deciding leg, despite not having the throw, Bunting produced a sensational 150 checkout to silence the crowd and seal victory in a tense finale.
Match Stats:
Bunting: 96.35 average, 3x 180s, 42.86% on Doubles (6/14)
Ratajski: 95.16 average, 1x 180, 35.71% on Doubles (5/14)
Quarter-Final 2: Luke Littler 6-3 Nathan Aspinall
The opening two legs were shared, with Aspinall landing a magnificent 122 checkout to level at 1–1. But Littler soon turned up the heat, rattling off legs of 11, 15, and 14 darts in a clinical three-leg burst to move 4–1 ahead.
Aspinall responded with a brilliant 13-darter to reduce the deficit, but Littler slammed the door shut with a spectacular 170 checkout, the 'big fish' to extend his lead to 5–2. Although Aspinall stayed alive with an 18-dart hold, Littler wrapped up the win on throw with a composed 17-darter.
Match Stats:
Littler: 104.88 average, 3x 180s, 50% on Doubles (6/12)
Aspinall: 99.94 average, 4x 180s, 60% on Doubles (3/5)
Quarter-Final 3: Gerwyn Price 6-2 Chris Dobey
Price capitalised on a scrappy start from Dobey on the outer ring to race into a 4–1 lead, with his scoring power increasingly taking control of the contest. Although he missed a dart at tops for a 5–1 cushion, Dobey managed to peg one back to make it 4–2.
However, 'The Iceman' quickly shut the door with back-to-back 14-dart legs, sealing a dominant win and letting out a trademark roar of celebration.
Match Stats:
Price: 104.29 average, 4x 180s, 46.15% on Doubles (6/13)
Dobey: 97.42 average, 4x 180s, 18.18% on Doubles (2/11)
Quarter-Final 4: Rob Cross 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Cross edged into a 2–1 lead during a steady start from ‘Voltage’, before chaos unfolded in leg four as the pair missed a combined 15 darts at double. Cross eventually scrambled over the line with a 27-dart hold on double 1 to move 3–1 ahead.
Van Gerwen responded with legs of 18 and 17 darts to level at 3–3, but Cross then found another gear, firing in 13 and 16-dart legs to lead 5–3. MvG momentarily stayed alive with a superb 11-dart hold, but Cross wrapped it up in style, taking out 14 darts on throw to seal the win.
Match Stats:
Cross: 88.80 average, 1x 180, 28.57% on Doubles (6/21)
MvG: 92.90 average, 2x 180s, 22.22% on Doubles (4/18)
Semi-Final 1: Stephen Bunting 7-3 Luke Littler
Bunting kicked off the match with a 13-dart hold before Littler responded in kind with an 11-darter in a high-quality start. But from there, ‘The Bullet’ took full control, reeling off five consecutive legs to storm into a 6–1 lead, while Littler was restricted to just two darts at double during that stretch.
Bunting missed multiple match darts in the following legs, allowing Littler a glimmer of hope. A 16-dart hold followed by a spectacular 170 checkout brought it back to 6–3, but Bunting sealed the deal in style with a clinical 11-dart break to book his place in the final.
Match Stats:
Bunting: 104.12 average, 5x 180s, 38.89% on Doubles (7/18)
Littler: 100.09 average, 4x 180s, 30% on Doubles (3/10)
Semi-Final 2: Gerwyn Price 7-3 Rob Cross
Cross started strongly, firing in back-to-back 13-darters to open up a 2–0 lead. But Price soon hit his stride, reeling off three straight legs to edge ahead at 3–2. Cross momentarily halted the momentum with a superb 123 checkout to level at 3–3 heading into the break.
After the interval, it was one-way traffic. ‘The Iceman’ produced a blistering four-leg burst, winning in 17, 15, 14 and 11 darts to storm into the final. His closing leg featured back-to-back 180s, and he didn’t allow Cross a single dart at double after the interval in a dominant finish.
Match Stats:
Price: 100.68 average, 6x 180s, 53.85% on Doubles (7/13)
Cross: 96.28 average, 2x 180s, 75% on Doubles (3/4)
Pre-Final Tournament Stats
Heading into the final, there was very little to separate the two. Gerwyn Price edged the tournament average by just over a point and hit three more 180s, while Stephen Bunting was slightly more clinical on the outer ring, checking out at 43% compared to Price’s 40%.
It set the stage for a compelling and well-matched final in Gliwice between the No.1 and No.2 seeds on this year’s World Series circuit.
Finalist | Average | 180s | Checkout % |
Price | 97.10 | 13 | 40% |
Bunting | 96.00 | 10 | 43% |
🏆 Final: Gerwyn Price 8-7 Stephen Bunting
Bunting took a 4–2 lead into the break, punishing missed chances from Price despite being outscored. The Iceman responded with a 17-dart break and 14-dart hold to level, but more missed doubles let Bunting edge back in front at 5–4.
Price then surged with legs of 13, 14, and 13 darts to go 7–5 up and one away from the title. Bunting held and capitalised on three missed championship darts to force a decider, where he had the throw and left 40 after 12 darts. But Price stepped up under immense pressure and took out 91 with a sensational double-double finish, double 17 followed by tops for a stunning 12-dart break to seal the title in the most dramatic ending!
Match Stats:
Price: 103.12 average, 6x 180s, 40% on Doubles (8/20)
Bunting: 97.95 average, 5x 180s, 38.89% on Doubles (7/18)
Closing Thoughts
🏴 Price’s Triumph & Suitcase Saga
Despite arriving in Poland without his suitcase, Gerwyn Price overcame the setback by sourcing replacement equipment and clothing on the fly. His magnificent final session featured three ton-plus averages across three matches, a stunning display of form that secured his fourth PDC title of the season and his first World Series crown of the year. A deserved champion.
🏴 Bunting’s Consistent Excellence
Stephen Bunting can be proud of another brilliant weekend on the World Series. As the No.1 seed this season, he has been in superb form, winning two titles and reaching two more finals from just five World Series events.
👎 Disappointments & Underperformance
While Nathan Aspinall and Luke Littler impressed again with quality darts and an exciting battle, early exits from Chris Dobey and Jonny Clayton will be disappointing. Both will aim to sharpen their game to progress deeper and secure more invitations. Meanwhile, Rob Cross and Michael van Gerwen showed worrying signs of poor form, underperforming yet again and raising questions about their current levels.
🔜 Looking Ahead: 🇦🇺 Australia & 🇳🇿 New Zealand
The home fans enjoyed Krzysztof Ratajski’s run to the quarter-finals, but there was a sense of missed opportunity after his solid but ultimately limited progress. The World Series now shifts focus down under, with the Australian Masters on August 8th-9th and the New Zealand Masters on August 15th-16th promising more thrilling world-class action.
Post-Final Reaction
Gerwyn Price on PDC.tv:
“To go double-double in that final leg with Stephen sat on a double was fantastic. I’m over the moon,” said a buzzing Price.
“I felt like I was missing opportunities and Stephen was taking advantage. I was getting frustrated with myself.
Going into the break 4-2 down, I was disappointed, but I stuck in there until the end.”
Reflecting on previous challenges, Price added:
“A couple of years ago in Ireland, I lost my suitcase and had to change my darts, clothes, and shoes. I went on and won the Grand Slam, and the rest is history!
I’ve lost my case again this weekend, so it’s been new darts, new shoes, new clothes,, and a new me. So here we go!”
Stephen Bunting on PDC.tv:
“I’ve really enjoyed this weekend,” said the world number four.
“You can’t give Gezzy any chances, because he’s absolutely class. That double-double finish, I just said to him, ‘that was unbelievable.’ It was a great ending to a brilliant game.”
Upcoming Tournaments
Players Championship 20
July 8th at Mattioli Arena, Leicester (Live on PDC.tv)
Players Championship 21
July 9th at Mattioli Arena, Leicester (Live on PDC.tv)
Baltic Sea Darts Open
July 11th-13th at Wunderino Arena, Kiel (Live on PDC.tv)
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