Raymond van Barneveld

Raymond van Barneveld slid down the rankings again in 2012, but finally - after a hiatus of over five years - the popular Dutchman can call himself a major champion once again.

Barney has played in all but one of the Premier League events, but has never managed to claim the title after five semi-final defeats.

The big Dutchman has hit a nine-darter in the event and also recorded the best ever televised average at the time in 2012, but it is the trophy that he is really after now.

He showed the the World Championships that he is back in business, despite his semi-final defeat to Phil Taylor, which ended with an acrimonious handshake after Barney had previously said he was not scared of The Power.

That came after he finally ended his long wait for a major trophy at the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton.

The irony, of course, is that 'Barney' secured precisely zero ranking points for his success in the Grand Slam, but the sheer elation he showed after beating in-form countryman Michael van Gerwen in the final showed just what it meant to him.

No surprise given his previous major title came at the Las Vegas Desert Classic in 2007.

In the intervening period, his form was inconsistent and blackmail threats made to him and his family clearly - and understandably - troubled him.

Indeed it was no surprise he went as far as to say that despite his fame and fortune he sometimes wonders whether he'd have been better off staying as a postman.

Just five years ago he headed to Alexandra Palace holding three major PDC titles, including the World Championship, but failed to successfully defend any of them - and things reached a new low here 12 months ago when he exited 3-0 in the first round to the unheralded James Richardson.

Van Barneveld is a four-time BDO world champion and won the PDC title in his first year after switching codes, beating Taylor 7-6 in surely the greatest final of all time.