GERWYN PRICE told James Wade he would “smash him up” before whitewashing him at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Price and Wade – who are good pals away from the oche – faced off in Wolverhampton on Sunday.
And Price needed a result to retain hope of escaping his group after losing his opening match to Ricky Evans earlier in the weekend.
The Welshman didn’t just beat Wade – he took him to the cleaners with a 5-0 thrashing.
Price then admitted to telling ‘The Machine’ prior to their showdown that their friendship would be put to one side up on stage.
And ‘The Iceman’ reckons those stern comments may have “hurt” his rival.
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He explained: “I said to him – we were practicing backstage – literally this is what I said, he said ‘all the best’.
“I said, ‘James, I’m your friend but, honestly, I’m not here to be your friend, I’m here to smash you up’.
“I don’t know, maybe that hurt him a bit. I’m not sure.”
Wade’s tournament prospects are now in real trouble, with his defeat to Price coming after a shock loss to Swiss thrower Stefan Bellmont.
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And although Price tapped into his ruthless side to get the job done, he admits it wasn’t easy.
The 40-year-old said: “It was a tough one against Wadie — he’s a great friend of mine, and whoever came through, I said to him we’ve got a good chance of going on and winning this tournament.
“So yeah, it was a tough one, but I’m glad I came through.
“Sometimes I prefer that pressure, you know, when you know if you lose, you’re going home.
“In a knockout situation I seem to find my best stuff, and yeah, I played well today. James missed a couple of chances, but I was clear to go.”
