"Immortal" darts legend plays his way into the generational duel
Raymond van Barneveld has reached the last 16 at the World Darts Championship in London, setting up an unprecedented clash of the generations. On Saturday evening, he will face teenage sensation Luke Littler in the last 16.
Five-time World Darts Champion Raymond van Barneveld has reached the last 16 of the World Darts Championship in London and will face teenage sensation Luke Littler. The 56-year-old Dutchman won his third round match against Welshman Jim Williams 4:1 without convincing and can therefore continue to hope for the biggest title in darts. "Barney" won the only World Championship title in the professional darts organization PDC to date on 1 January 2007 in the legendary final against record champion Phil Taylor. Luke Littler was born exactly 20 days after his triumph. Tomorrow Saturday evening, "Barney" will meet the 16-year-old super talent in a generational duel.
Littler has quickly become a crowd favorite with his strong performances and youthful nature at the World Cup. Only three-time champion Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands) and top favorite Luke Humphries (England) are trading higher with the bookmakers.
"Still playing Lego and Playmobil at 16"
"I'm really looking forward to the match. The kid is amazing. I was still playing with Lego and Playmobil when I was 16," said the 40-year-old van Barneveld after reaching the last 16. The Dutchman is by far the oldest remaining participant in the tournament. "I'm one of the immortals in this sport. I just love the game."
Before the clash between Williams and "Barney", Jonny Clayton (Wales) and Damon Heta (Australia) had already secured their places in the last 16. Clayton defeated Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski 4:2 and will now face England's former world champion Rob Cross in the round of 16. After his 4:3 win over Berry van Peer (Netherlands), Heta has a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals. On Saturday, he will play the unseeded Englishman Scott Williams, who knocked out Martin Schindler.
In addition to "The Wall", Gabriel Clemens, Florian Hempel and Ricardo Pietreczko were also eliminated in the third round of the World Darts Championship.
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This year at the World Darts Championship in London, five-time champion Raymond van Barneveld has advanced to the last 16, where he will face 16-year-old Luke Littler in an exciting clash of generations. In his earlier game, Van Barneveld overcame Welshman Jim Williams 4-1, demonstrating that even at 56, he's still a force to be reckoned with in the darts world, and a firm believer in the enduring appeal of the sport, referring to himself as one of its immortals.
Source: www.ntv.de
