WORLD DARTS BARNEY WANTS A FINAL REPEAT
Van eyes Taylor showdown
RAYMOND Van Barneveld has 20 special reasons for wanting to become world champion again.
Dutchman Barney returns to the Ally Pally tonight for his first round match against debutant Richard North and he cannot wait.
His dream is to go all the way to the final and face old adversary Phil Taylor in what would be ‘The Power’s’ final match – and one of the great occasions in the sport. For Barneveld, ® it’s his chance to lift the world title 20 years after first becoming champion.
“It would be something amazing to win this year because I won my first Lakeside title back in 1998,” said the 50-year-old.
“What could be better? Twenty years on and with Phil Taylor in his last competition, for us to meet each other in the final. That would be brilliant.” It is 11 years since Barney lifted his only PDC crown when he beat Taylor in the greatest match of all time, winning 7-6 in their duel at the Circus Tavern.
He has made it to the final since but was thrashed 7-1 by Taylor at the Ally Pally in 2009.
Cracker
But the former postman will never forget winning that BDO title in 1998 when he beat Richie Burnett 6-5, having lost to him 6-3 in the final three years earlier.
Barneveld said: “After 1995, I wanted revenge. Richie was playing good darts and my revenge was good.
“It was an absolute cracker of a match. In Holland we had a population of 15 million then and over five million saw my final. It was amazing, one out of three in the country watching it.
“It changed my life. With that title I gave up being a postman and I could live as a professional darts player with fantastic sponsors, exhibitions, more tournaments. Then in 1999 I won it again. They were special years.”
Barneveld lifted the BDO title twice more, in 2003 and 2005, before moving to the PDC in 2006 and becoming their world champion at the first attempt.
But he never takes for granted what he has now thanks to darts.
He said: “I really don’t miss being a postman when it is freezing or raining. If I see those old colleagues, or new postmen, I still think back to my time. That gives you a good feeling.”
Barneveld became a grandad for the second time last month with the birth of granddaughter Nikki but has no plans to retire.
He said: “I will play on for five to seven years but I have always said that if I don’t feel the fire in myself anymore, I’ll stop. Maybe Phil feels the same right now.”