Gerwyn Price brushed aside the outraged booing – as well as opponent Gary Anderson – to win his first major darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts final, in Wolverhampton on Sunday night.
The Welshman became the target for angry fans after repeatedly clashing with Anderson in a bad-tempered final.
Price – who was once a semi-professional rugby player in the Welsh Premiership and good enough to earn a short-term contract with Glasgow Warriors – has become something of a pantomime villain on the darts circuit since switching career.
But the jeers and abuse failed to affect him as he smiled back at the taunts to win 16-13 and claim the title.
Scotsman Anderson took exception to Price’s slow play and exuberant celebrations during the final. They continued to clash throughout the contest, including Anderson pushing Price after they collided when Price won the 27th leg, before claiming the next two to secure a 16-13 victory and take the Eric Bristow Trophy.
Price, who won seven of the last nine legs to claim victory, spoke of his pride at securing the first Grand Slam of Darts trophy to be named after Eric Bristow, who died earlier this year.
He told Sky Sports: “I was probably chasing the game all the way through. I didn’t mind. I knew if I put him under pressure, he was going to crack and he did.
“This trophy means a lot to me, it’s the first ever one named after Eric so nobody can take that away from me. I go down in history now, happy days.
“Sometimes the crowd is with you, sometimes it’s against you. If it’s against you, you have to feed off that. This week, maybe two or three times, they were against me, (but) it makes me play better. So next time, boo a little bit more.
“I’m loving it playing on that stage against the best players in the world. Five-six years ago I was a rugby player, and now I’m pinching money from the professionals’ pockets.”
Price also dismissed the suggestion that the conflict on the oche had an affect on the result of the match.
He added: ‘I’m throwing my darts, he needs to wait for his turn. He doesn’t like it when it’s a little bit up him, so unlucky.
“I knew when he beat Michael (Van Gerwen) that I was going to beat him. Simple. He can’t handle playing me. He just moans every time that I’m doing this, doing that. Concentrate on your own game.”
Even if you hate Price, you’ve gotta admit, having a great villain like this sure does make darts a lot more interesting. If he suddenly disappeared I’m sure everyone would be thrilled, for a minute, but then they’d realize how much less exciting darts became in his absence.