Raymond van Barneveld still got it and showed this at the Players Championship this week during his game with Luke Littler. The 17-year old was almost unstoppable the last months but during the last 16 at the PC26 Barney managed to beat him and made it into the quarter final despite this cheeky moment by Littler.
113 bull first. Ok. Thirty years of professional darts, RVB is still world class! https://t.co/xSxALxQeO8
— WAYNE MARDLE (@Wayne501Mardle) October 3, 2024
With this, Barney is doing well on his way to the World Grand Prix, where he will be in action on opening day. On Monday evening, he will play his fifth match against Ricardo Pietreczko. The two recently faced each other at the European Tour 12, where Van Barneveld came out on top in a close match, winning 6-5.
The advantage is that the German will not have the full support of the home crowd, as the World Grand Prix is being held in England. Moreover, the 6-2 victory over Luke Littler will boost the Dutch player’s confidence.
Of course, there is one aspect that will be particularly important next week: the doubles. At the World Grand Prix, each leg must not only end with a double, but it must also start with one.
Last year, Luke Humphries claimed the title by winning 5-2 against Gerwyn Price in the final. The year before, Michael van Gerwen took the title, having also won it in 2019, 2018, 2016, 2014, and 2012.
It’s a tournament that suits Van Gerwen well, and with his recent absence from the last tournaments, the current number 3 could use a good result for the PDC Order of Merit. He is trailing Michael Smith closely, and the PDC World Championship will be a crucial tournament if he wants to dethrone Luke Humphries from the top spot.
The World Grand Prix is scheduled from Monday, October 7, to Sunday, October 13.