Sporting Life
Raymond van Barneveld (Picture: Taylor Lanning/PDC)
Raymond van Barneveld (Picture: Taylor Lanning/PDC)

World Matchplay: Raymond van Barneveld seeking a fairytale run at the Winter Gardens major

By Aaron Bower
Darts
Mon July 17, 2023 · 2y ago

Five world titles, a plethora of major championships and his place among the pantheon of the sport's all-time greats long since assured: a cursory glance at Raymond van Barneveld's magnificent darting career suggests he has done it all.

However, there is one real itch for the 56-year-old left to scratch. Since his return to the PDC tour in 2021, van Barneveld has achieved plenty; a place in the world's top 32, a return to the World Darts Championship and a memorable run to the semi-finals of last year's Grand Slam of Darts.

And Barney will tick off another box on Monday evening when he makes his return to arguably the second-most prestigious tournament of the year, the World Matchplay in Blackpool, after a five-year absence. But simply returning to the iconic venue isn't enough for van Barneveld, given how it remains the one big tournament missing from his trophy cabinet.

"It sure does feel like the one things that's missing," van Barneveld tells Sporting Life. "This is a highly-ranked tournament and the prize money is amazing - if you win it, you're back in the top 16 or even top 10 in the world.

WHO'S HIT MOST NINE-DART FINISHES?

"It's a very special event. We always say it's like a World Championship in summer. The venue is absolutely brilliant, if you see it inside, we never play anywhere else like it. It's not been one of my tournaments I've always played well in, I've had one final against Phil (Taylor, in 2010).

"There's a lot of media interest around the Matchplay, and I guess there's a lot of interest in me to be back there after five years, and I love it. I can't wait to get back there, it's been a long time because in the last couple of years before I finished I didn't qualify. But this was one of the big goals, to get back there."

Barney has secured his return to Blackpool for the first time since 2018 through the PDC's ProTour Order of Merit. It means he heads into the event as an unseeded player but certainly not one out of form, given how he reached the quarter-finals of a European Tour event in Trier less than a fortnight ago.

Now in his third season back on tour since regaining his PDC tour card, it is clear the fire still burns brightly inside the 56-year-old, too.

He said: "I've been at nine of the 10 European Tour events this year and I've made it to the Sunday a few times too, beating Michael Van Gerwen a few weeks ago. It shows I can still do this, so why not try and be the best? If you work hard enough and set yourself goals, you can do whatever you want.

"I can still play this game. I'm not going to say I'm going to lift the trophy this week, it's step for step. But I believe in it, I believe I can compete for any tournament."

The World Matchplay brings its own unique challenges, not least the stifling heat inside the Winter Gardens when the auditorium is full, as it will be on Monday night when van Barneveld begins his campaign against Ryan Searle.

In a bid to acclimatise that, Barney will practice in the days leading up to his match without air conditioning after conceding the heat has played a part in his poor results at the Matchplay throughout his career.

Drawing 15th seed Searle rather than the likes of Michael Smith or Gerwyn Price is seen by some observers as a friendly first round tie, but van Barneveld is taking nothing for granted.

"It's like survival of the fittest these days, whoever you get in a first round it's a tough game," he admits. "Don't underestimate Ryan because he's an amazing player."

Already assured of his place in the top 32 next year, van Barneveld is eager to look up the rankings, rather than settle for what he has, too. It is abundantly clear that despite having achieved so much in the sport, he feels there are several more chapters in his career left to write.

"My goal now is the top 16 on the ProTour Order of Merit, which brings a lot of positives because you don't need to qualify for events anymore," he admits.

"If you're in there, you don't need to play on Friday nights in events anymore and when you're 56 like I am, that's great because it helps your energy levels. You don't need to come to England to play in qualifying events and you're just in a much better place."

"It gives me goosebumps thinking about playing on that stage again," he admits. "Getting back there, witnessing the venue and the crowds, this tournament gives you things you can't compare with in other events.

"It's a fantastic event and I'm looking forward to being back there, but I'm not going to just make up the numbers."

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