'This means a lot' - Raymond van Barneveld opens up on 'special' win over world champ Michael Smith
- Planet Sport writer
- 1 month ago
Raymond van Barneveld defeated World Champion Michael Smith at the Jack’s World Series of Darts Finals on Saturday, as Keegan Brown dumped out Gerwyn Price on a thrilling night in Amsterdam.
Day Two of the £350,000 event saw the eight seeds enter the fray at AFAS Live, and world number one Smith and reigning champion Price were among the high-profile casualties in the Dutch capital.
However, it was Van Barneveld who stole the headlines on home soil, producing a vintage display to move through to the quarter-finals on his first televised appearance in the Netherlands since 2019.
Van Barneveld outscored Smith in the early stages – including an 11-dart break in leg three – although 130 and 100 checkouts from the St Helens star kept him in contention at 2-2.
The world number one began to find his range as he moved into a 4-3 lead, only for Van Barneveld to raise the roof with a trademark 156 finish to level the contest at four apiece.
The 56-year-old then punished two missed darts from Smith to move to the cusp of victory with a nerveless 105 outshot, before pinning double ten to seal a memorable win in front of a packed AFAS Live crowd.
“To beat the World Champion in front of the Orange Army, this is really special,” reflected the five-time World Champion, who now plays Peter Wright in an intriguing last eight tussle.
“I knew I would have to play my A-game. We all know what Michael is capable of. He’s a fantastic player, one of the best in the world.
“It was a quality game. There were fantastic finishes from both of us, and Michael was a real gentleman tonight. This means a lot to me.”
