Van Gerwen squeezes past Barney into last four

Michael van Gerwen remains on course for back-to-back William Hill World Darts Championship titles after seeing off Raymond van Barneveld in a thrilling last eight clash at Alexandra Palace last night.

The top seed was in danger of exiting the tournament at the quarter-final stage after Van Barneveld – nicknamed Barney – made it 4-4 to set up a decider.

But Van Gerwen held his nerve to secure a 5-4 victory that booked a semifinal date with Rob Cross and sent his Dutch compatriot home.

“At the beginning Raymond was playing well and I was struggling a little bit,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports.

“I think everyone could only dream of a quarter-final like this because we both averaged a quite good standard.

“He played really good. I didn’t expect him to keep his motivation up so long. He normally shakes his head when he’s behind but he didn’t do that. That’s a positive thing for him but the negative thing is I’m through to the next round.”

Van Gerwen will take on Cross after the 20th seed held off a spirited fightback from Dimitri Van den Bergh to win by the same scoreline.

Earlier, Jamie Lewis stormed into the semi-finals with a 5-0 whitewash of Darren Webster.

The 26-year-old provisional-round qualifier, who defeated second seed Peter Wright before earning his quarter-final place with a 4-1 win over James Richardson, lined up a meeting with Phil Taylor after a dominant performance.

In last night’s final match, 15-time champion Phil Taylor powered his way into the semi-finals with a 5-3 victory over Scot Gary Anderson.