Why is Gerwyn Price wearing ear-defenders?
GERWYN PRICE has shocked Alexandra Palace by arriving for the fifth set of his quarter-final against Gabriel Clemens by putting on huge ear-defenders.
But is this allowed, and why has he decided to do it?
Why is Gerwyn Price wearing ear defenders?
Price is simply drowning out the Ally Pally noise.
The Iceman has been greeted with a chorus of boos through the game, and decided to wear the ear-defenders instead.
He had spoke before the match about wearing ear-plugs, though no-one expected them to quite so BIG.
Instead he is wore huge ear-defenders covering the side of his head, but switched to normal ear-plugs for the sixth set.
After his win over Raymond van Barneveld, Price said: “If Raymond had been in the match better and the crowd had turned against me more, I probably still would have done it. But now it wasn’t necessary.
“And by the way, it’s not just about headphones, but then I put in earplugs. I first tried it at home during the Christmas break just with earplugs in, but then I still heard too much. With the headphones in, I couldn’t even hear my kids anymore; then I knew it would work well.”
Price went on to lose the game 5-1 to Clemens.
What has been said?
Wayne Mardle, the five-time world championship semi-finalist and Sky Sports pundit, said: “I have never seen the like before.
“Apparently this has been coming, he had his ear defenders prior to the game and it was something he thought about it doing. Which is totally allowed.
“The fact he had those ear defenders here from a week ago shows there is a little bit of frailty.
“Clemens was better than him. Simple as that. Gerwyn couldn’t find anything in this event, which was odd and particular.
“He was feeling the pressure and wasn’t 100% comfortable.”