Gerwyn Price has forged an unlikely bromance with England star James Maddison and reinvented himself as the Dion Dublin of darts.
The world No.1 was Maddison's guest at a Leicester City game two months ago and, in a parallel universe, the 'Iceman' might have been a proud Welshman cheering on his mate playing for England on World Cup final day
And as Price launches his Cazoo PDC World Championship crusade against Luke Woodhouse on Monday, at least his game will be in better order than some of the properties he buys to renovate.
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Gezzy, who lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy behind closed doors two years ago, revealed: “James reached out to me on Instagram and supported me a couple of times with good-luck messages.
“He's a huge fan of darts, I've seen him playing online somewhere, and he invited me up to watch Leicester play during the World Grand Prix.
“I think that was the first game they had won all season (4-0 against Nottingham Forest), then we were invited to the training ground and did a bit of filming. He's a great lad, I met his family and he was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch at the game I saw.
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“When he was selected in England's World Cup squad, I messaged him to say 'Well done – but I don't think I want you playing against Wales!
“But that's what I like about darts: it's an individual sport, you don't have to rely on anyone else. As a footballer, you can be the best player on your team by a mile and still miss out.
“He was on the fringes of the England squad for a long time, and I know how it feels to win people over. Sometimes, as a rugby player at international level when I was younger, I felt I missed out for reasons that weren't obvious.
“I was in the Wales Under-20 squad and there were three hookers – but the other two were from the same clubs as the coaches, and sometimes a friendship or a connection can override everything, and it doesn't seem fair.”
Away from the oche Price, 37, has developed a tidy sideline in property development – although he wants to put it on hold for a year to concentrate fully on darts.
He said: “I'm building my own house, which I'm hoping to get finished by February/March, but I'm not doing any more. I might invest in properties which are already done up, but otherwise I'm not looking to do anything else.
“I'm going to take a year out and channel 100 per cent of my focus into darts. I'm not sure if that will be a good thing or a bad thing, because I've always had other interests to keep me occupied.
“I enjoy doing it, but sometimes it can be a distraction when you're trying to keep everything ordered. I'd have brickies in, knowing there was first fix on the electrics and wiring to follow, ready for someone to come in and board and plaster. The logistics can be time-consuming.
“The house I'm building is only four bedrooms, but it's a nice size with a decent open space downstairs and a darts practice room. I don't want to move out of my village, it's nice that I've found somewhere I can settle.
“Am I the new Dion Dublin? When I was playing rugby, watching things like Homes Under the Hammer is what got me into property. I take satisfaction from taking over something that's upside down or a wreck and picturing what it's going to look like from the beginning.
“My wife walked into one place and said, 'I'm not buying this' – but a couple of months later, she couldn't believe the difference. I love the transformation of seeing something turn from nothing into its full potential.”
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