Darts legend Raymond van Barneveld calls time on brilliant career after five-time world champ crashes out in first round
HEARTBROKEN Raymond van Barneveld ended his career in embarrassment and moaned: The old demons won again.
The final arrows of the Dutchman’s decorated career were thrown last night as he was bundled out of the Ally Pally exit door.
The five-time world darts champion lost 3-1 to American Darin Young in the first round of the William Hill PDC World Darts Championship.
In a car-crash TV interview, Barney could barely muster a few words, as he choked back the years. He muttered: “I played really bad. I was surprised. Darin play well, credit to him.
“I lost in the first round. In my disaster year I will never forgive myself. Never ever.”
After the match, Barney could not find any positives in his career, saying it was the lowest moment in his life.
He said: “I never felt comfortable this whole match. I played the last few weeks. But the demons won again. For the last few months, it was okay. I thought I would do this.
“How can I be proud now? Of what? That is the past. I cannot live with myself right now. my legacy doesn’t matter.
‘I AM AMATEUR’
Losing for the last two years, losing in the first round, I am amateur. I don’t belong at this level. I will say that for the rest of my life.”
Sadly there was not to be any glorious fairy-tale ending for the popular darts star.
A man who has been known for the extraordinary could not muster one final miracle.
Embarrassingly he was bundled out of the Ally Pally exit door in an extremely poor first-round clash, unable to give his loud and loyal fans one final, heart-swelling hurrah.
Barney, who is divorcing wife Silvia after 25 years of marriage, gave his new girlfriend Julia Evans a big smacker when he arrived for his date with destiny.
He stepped onto the oche with a serious game-face, looking like a heavyweight boxer ready for action, but he could not deliver the knockout blow.
In the first set alone, he missed 10 of his 11 double chances as Young took the lead.
Yes, Barney managed to win the second set but the negative body language resurfaced, the old demons returned, the heart sank as Young prevailed.
The final match of his career ended when Young took out double top with his first match dart.
‘TIME IS UNDEFEATED’
It was sad to see a giant of this game slayed by this journeyman Yank, who spends his free time hunting fish. This was, by far, his biggest prey.
Clearly Barney’s best days are way behind him but certainly his talent and status within the sport can never be questioned.
Only one man, his nemesis Phil Taylor, has won more world titles (16) in the history of this sport.
The PDC will be a poorer place for his departure, even though his bad recent form shows it’s the right time to leave.
And the problem is Barney never managed to replicate that spell-binding form consistently after 2007.
Though he was always a crowd favourite and won £3.5m in prize money, he only won six TV majors in 13 years – not quite the bountiful return expected when he made the switch from Lakeside.
The pain of losing in the first or second rounds of tournaments has simply become unbearable.
The misery of lying in hotel rooms in Barnsley and Wigan after another demoralising loss has simply become too much.
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When he made the announcement 13 months ago, Barney made a point of quoting the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, who has been the inspiration behind his famous walk-ons.
Poignantly, he said: “Time takes everybody out. Time is undefeated.”
How apt that feels this morning.