Sport Darts World Cup
“When I was 16, I played with Lego” – Barney completes duel with Littler
As of: 8:08 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Raymond van Barneveld meets Luke Littler in the round of 16
Source: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire/dpa
Raymond van Barneveld has reached the round of 16 of the Darts World Cup. Against Jim Williams, the old master only had problems with the last arrow. On Saturday there will be a duel against Luke Littler, who is 40 years younger.
It is the duel that many fans and probably also the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) had been hoping for since the draw in November. Raymond van Barneveld, five-time world champion, will face debutant Luke Littler in the round of 16 of the World Darts Championship on Saturday. The two are 40 years apart, “Barney” is 56, Littler 16. The Dutchman could easily be his opponent’s grandfather. What other sport can create duels like this?
Van Barneveld won 4-1 against Welshman Jim Williams. The number 47 of the Order of Merit had knocked out the two-time champion Peter Wright 3-0 in the previous round, but revealed major problems at the checkout in round three. The 39-year-old only hit every fourth arrow (25 percent).
The first two sets were still competitive. Van Barneveld secured round one in the decider, set two went to Wales 3-2. But then the veteran picked up the pace and won eight legs in a row.
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The ninth would have meant victory, and the Dutchman was ready to check early, but missed five darts in a row and actually had to go to the decider again, where he converted the seventh match dart to win. “I was warned and knew what Jim was capable of. “I’m so happy now, it was hard work,” said van Barneveld, complaining that he didn’t live up to his training performance. An average of 89.16 points confirmed his assessment.
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Littler had already made it into the round of 16 on Wednesday. “The Nuke” defeated Matt Campbell 4-1. Van Barneveld is excited about the unequal duel: “When I was 16 years old, I played with Lego and Playmobil. I’m really looking forward to the duel tomorrow and can’t wait. He’s a fantastic player.”
Darts World Cup, results on December 29th
3rd round:
Damon Heta (AUS/10) – Berry van Peer (NED) 4:3 (0:3; 2:3; 3:0; 3:2; 3:1; 1:3; 3:1)
Jonny Clayton (WAL/9) – Krzysztof Ratajski (POL/24) 4:2 (3:1; 3:2; 0:3; 3:1; 1:3; 3:1)
Jim Williams (WAL) – Raymond van Barneveld (NED/29) 1:4 (2:3; 3:2; 0:3; 0:3; 2:3)
Boris Krcmar (CRO) – Gary Anderson (SCO/21)
Round of 16:
Michael van Gerwen (NED/2) – Stephen Bunting (ENG/18)
Michael Smith (ENG/1) – Chris Dobey (ENG/17)
Darts World Cup, schedule for December 30th
Round of 16 (from 1:45 p.m., order still open):
Brendan Dolan (NIR/28) – Boris Krcmar (CRO)/Gary Anderson (SCO/21)
Daryl Gurney (NIR/27) – Dave Chisnall (ENG/11)
Luke Littler (ENG) – Raymond van Barneveld (NED/29)
Luke Humphries (ENG/3) – Joe Cullen (ENG/14)
Rob Cross (ENG/8) – Jonny Clayton (WAL/9)
Scott Williams (ENG) – Damon Heta (AUS/10)
