GERWYN PRICE last night thanked the fans as he retained the Eric Bristow Trophy.
The Welshman smashed Peter Wright 16-6 in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton to receive the £125,000 top prize.
Price, 34, averaged 107.86 and hit 11 180s as he inflicted a SEVENTH straight final defeat on Wright in a PDC TV major.
The Iceman, who moved up to No.2 in the world rankings, is often seen as the pantomime villain and booed by darts crowds around the country.
But this time he was cheered and supported and he said: “The fans have been fantastic and I’m not used to this. They pushed me to win it.
“I was hitting trebles for fun. I felt comfortable and I’m chuffed to bits.
“I’ve had a good year and I’m thankful to win this again.”
Wright, 49, said: “I was chasing him all the way through. He played fantastic.”
This is a breakthrough event for Price because in the semi-finals he beat Michael van Gerwen for the first time at the 20th attempt.
The Iceman finally gained revenge for years of misery with a 16-12 victory over the Dutch world No.1.