Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price fire back at Peter Wright after ‘mind games’

Peter Wright has been intentionally winding up his rivals at the World Grand Prix and he has got a reaction out of both Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen.

The trio are the three favourites to lift the trophy in Leicester and they are having something of a battle in the press room as well as on the oche, a scrap instigated by Wright.

Snakebite was actually somewhat complimentary about Price, although suggested the Iceman is behind him in the pecking order, but criticised every other player in the game.

‘I don’t think they’re good enough anymore, to be honest,’ Wright said of the field after his first round win at the Grand Prix.

‘I think Gezzy is probably the second best player in the world at the moment, but the rest of them have got to get back to the practice board and practice harder.’

Price beat Germany’s Martin Schindler in round one at the Grand Prix and responded to Wright’s comments, reminding the world champion that he’s been pretty quiet since his triumph at Alexandra Palace in January.

The fight for the world number one position is at the centre of this war of words, with Price holding top spot, but Wright provisionally going to take it this week.

‘Peter’s been absolute rubbish this year, I’m not chasing the world number one – if he wants it he can have it,’ said Price. ‘But I’m sure the next couple of months I’ll get it back. Peter knows he’s number three in the world, Michael is number two and I’m number one but talk is cheap.

‘It’s not like the past with Phil Taylor bulldozing over everybody, it’d be boring. It’s not just the likes of me, Michael and Peter that can win tournaments, I think anybody can win these days.”

‘But when us three are at our best, there’s not many people that will beat us. But Peter’s still number three.’

Van Gerwen is number three in the rankings but is typically confident and says that whichever of his rivals is number one, they know that they will relinquish it to him.

‘In their minds they know who the number one is going to be,’ said the Dutchman.

‘I will always keep battling for it till I retire, I won’t stop hunting them and they know I will be. They’re probably making up an excuse now for later.

‘When people start talking about me I know they’ve got something against me and they will always have something against me as long as I live, as long as I play darts.

‘That’s how it is, that’s fact and I can’t change anything about that. I’m there, I’m always competing in the tournament sand I will probably also beat him a lot more times.’

MVG also mocked the idea that his form has not been great, saying: ‘My form isn’t good, but I still won the Premier League, the Matchplay so my form has been c**p.

‘People always say things, my opponents, I don’t really care.’

After Snakebite beat Krzysztof Ratajski in his second round match on Wednesday he admitted that his comments were all designed to annoy his potential opponents, something he saw Phil Taylor do over his epic career.

‘It’s up to them if they listen or not, I don’t listen to his interviews,’ said the Scot. ‘I learned it off Phil Taylor, I used to watch him wind everyone up.

‘But nowadays everyone’s got their headphones in the back room, so you can’t wind them up, everyone’s so serious now. I’m on the way out so I need to try and win games.’

Snakebite finished with a prediction and another compliment to Price, saying: ‘I think he’ll definitely get to the final on the other side and hopefully I can do the same, number one and number two can battle it out.’

MORE : Michael van Gerwen offers advice to ‘part-timer’ Gary Anderson after World Grand Prix clash

MORE : Peter Wright blasts World Grand Prix rivals: ‘I don’t think they’re good enough anymore’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.