Gerwyn Price put on a pair of ear defenders during his World Darts Championship quarter-final against Gabriel Clemens, but it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat.
The world No.1 has become a divisive figure in the sport and made it clear the raucous Alexandra Palace crowd were bothering him before he was dumped out of the tournament.
Price has been subjected to jeers throughout his career and had previously said he’d been practising with earplugs, but then at 3-1 down he went a step further with full-on ear defenders.
It did not prevent him from losing the fifth set and when he returned to the stage wearing less-bulky ear plugs, the outcome was the same as Clemens sealed a 5-1 win to become the first German to reach the last four of the competition.
It is not the first controversy Price has been involved in during the championships.
Sky Sports had to apologise to viewers earlier this week after the Welsh former rugby player made a gesture which could have been construed as offensive to disabled people during his victory over Jose de Sousa.
After his defeat to Clemens, Price threatened not to return to the PDC World Championships.
The 37-year-old wrote on his Instagram page: “So frustrating you play all year round preparing for this one tournament. So gutted I wasn’t let play but good luck everyone left in.
“Not sure I will ever play in this event again.”
There was a partisan crowd at the Ally Pally, with hundreds of Germans in attendance to roar on Clemens.
After a blistering start to take the first set, Clemens suddenly took over and began to dominate, much to the delight of his supporters.
A desperate Price then donned the ear defenders and it looked to have been a genius move as he began with a 180 and gestured to the booing arena, but his joy didn’t last long.
His German opponent maintained his focus and took the fifth set, with Price leaving the stage with a grimace on his face and ear defenders removed.
For the sixth and final set, the Cardiff native opted for earplugs instead, but it was too late, with Clemens seeing out a 5-1 huge upset.
Speaking after, Clemens said: “This is amazing. Thank you, Germany!
“I have no words. I beat the World No.1 in the quarters, it’s absolutely amazing for me.”
When asked about Price’s ear defenders, Clemens responded: “I looked at my game, I played good the whole game, I played my game and that was it.”
When told a record-breaking 1.5million Germans were watching him back home on top of all the native flags at Ally Pally, Clemens simply said: “It’s amazing. Thank you!”
talkSPORT BET OFFER OF THE DAY
Get up to £25 in free bets + 25 free spins* – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet up to £25 (min. £10) on selected events at odds of 2.00+, in 7 days. Get up to £25 in free bets on selected events + 25 Free Spins on D10S Maradona slot. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly
