Price has Grand Slam of Darts fines reduced after successful appeal

Gerwyn Price had his total of fines relating to his conduct in the 2018 Grand Slam reduced by £10,000 after a successful appeal against the DRA.

Price was hit with a total of £21,500 in fines and a three-month ban, suspended for six months, in January after being found guilty of three separate breaches of DRA rules during last November’s Grand Slam.

The Welshman revealed in April that he had appealed the sanctions and was prepared to take it to the “high court” if necessary.

Now, the DRA has confirmed that the 34-year-old has had his total of fines reduced by £10,000 relating to two sanctions, but has been ordered to pay a total of £2,325.24 towards the costs of the appeal process.

Price was initially fined £8,000 for ‘Bringing the game into disrepute and gamesmanship’ in his Quarter-Final win over Simon Whitlock and a further £12,000 for the same rule breaches in the final against Gary Anderson.

Both fines have now been halved, though his £1,500 fine for ‘inappropriate posts on social media’ remains unchanged.

A DRA statement read:

‘At a hearing that took place on 11th January 2019 before the DRA Disciplinary Committee, Gerwyn Price was found to be in breach of rule 3.1 and 3.2 of the DRA Rules in the Grand Slam of Darts (GSOD) Quarter-Final match with Simon Whitlock played on 16th November 2018 and in the GSOD Final match with Gary Anderson played on 18th November 2018.

‘The Committee found that Mr Price had brought the sport into disrepute by his actions and that they amounted to gamesmanship. Mr Price admitted to a further breach of the DRA Rules for putting inappropriate posts on social media.

‘The Committee fined Mr Price a total of £21,500 and imposed a suspension of 3 months. This suspension was suspended for 6 months until 11th July 2019.

‘Mr Price appealed against both the finding and the sanction imposed.

‘The DRA convened an Appeals Committee comprising of three independent members; John Mehrzad (Chair), Tarik Shamel and James Harms.

‘On Wednesday 17th July 2019 the Appeals Committee delivered its decision on the appeal.

‘The Appeals Committee rejected his appeal against the finding that he was in breach of rules 3.1 and 3.2 of the DRA Rules. The Appeals Committee found that many of the grounds of the appeal were completely without merit and contradicted by the papers in the case.

‘His appeal against sanction was upheld and the sanction on count 1 was reduced from £8,000 to £4,000 and on count 2 from £12,000 to £6,000, a total of £10,000. The other sanctions imposed were unchanged.’

The sanctions as revised by the Appeals Committee are:

1. For Bringing the game into disrepute and gamesmanship in the GSOD Quarter Final Mr Price is to pay a fine of £4,000;

2. For Bringing the sport into disrepute and gamesmanship in the GSOD Final Mr Price is to pay a fine of £6,000;

3. Mr Price will also be suspended from attending or competing in DRA sanction events for a period of 3 months. This will be suspended for a period of 6 months until 11 July 2019 (this suspension has now expired); and,

4. For the inappropriate posts on social media Mr Price is to pay a fine of £1,500 and warned as to his future behaviour.

On 5th August 2019 the Appeals Committee ruled that Mr Price is to pay a total of £2,325.24 towards the costs of the appeal process.