GERWYN Price reckons he is “possibly the best player in the world” if he hits his doubles, after finishing runner-up in the Ladbrokes UK Open for the second time in four years.

Markham’s Price led the final against Michael van Gerwen 5-1 before encountering double trouble on the way to an 11-9 defeat at Butlin's Minehead Resort in Somerset.

The Welshman, who averaged more than 102 in quarter-final and semi-final wins over Dimitri van den Bergh and Jonny Clayton respectively, had previously lost in the final to Peter Wright in 2017.

"Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but I'll move on to the next one," said Price. "I think Michael would agree that I probably lost that game.

"I bombed numerous opportunities – my scoring game was there but in three or four legs I bombed doubles. I could have been 9-6 up, but that's the way darts goes.

"If I hit my doubles, I’m possibly the best player in the world, but at the moment, Michael's there."

World number one van Gerwen had endured three months without a tournament win since claiming November's Players Championship Finals title, also in Minehead against Price.

He had landed a nine-darter during that event, and the Dutchman repeated the feat with a perfect leg during his 11-3 semi-final romp against Daryl Gurney.

Van Gerwen had earlier averaged almost 111 in his quarter-final defeat of Rob Cross, before coming from behind to scoop the £100,000 first prize and complete a UK Open hat-trick.

"It's an incredible win and it means a lot to me to win this tournament," said van Gerwen. "I've had a phenomenal tournament and the pressure was on me.

"It was a hard day for me, I had to play three Premier League players and it was not easy but I played really good darts and didn't do a lot wrong.

"The nine-darter was fantastic but with the way I was playing it was just a matter of time. That's just one leg though and I had to keep my focus.

"Gerwyn had his chances in the final but I took advantage and never missed a chance. That was important, so I only can be happy with this."

Van Gerwen opened the final with a 180 as a 13-darter gave him the lead, only for Price to clinically storm into a 5-1 lead, with his accuracy on tops including checkouts of 105 and 97 as he moved clear.

Van Gerwen punished missed doubles from the Welshman in three of the next four legs as he pulled back to 6-4, and after a 13-darter from Price, the world number one capitalised on four further misses to reduce the gap to 7-6.

A tense 14th leg saw another four misses allowed van Gerwen to level on double two, and when a further two darts at double went astray from the Welshman, the Dutchman went 8-7 up.

Checkouts of 136 and 97 moved van Gerwen to the brink of victory at 10-7, and though Price replied with finishes of 94 and 80, the Welshman was unable to keep his hopes alive as a missed bull allowed his rival to take out 66 for glory.

Van Gerwen had gone through the first two months of a year without a tournament win for the first time in nearly a decade, with a change of darts leading to mounting discussion over the world number one's form.