Dutch darts legend Raymond van Barneveld gave his honest views on missed opportunities at the World Series and calls booing in darts “a shame”.
The former World Champion has some high praise for Luke Littler and what he’s doing for the appeal of the sport, and gives high praise to another Dutchman who could challenge him for titles in the coming years.
He also gives his two cents into the popular 9 Darter v 147 v Hole In One debate and what separates darts from the other two sports.
World Series Missed Opportunities
First of all, it's a non-ranked event. All the players who are there they are serious, of course, and everyone wants to win. But with this very tough schedule, maybe some players don't have 100% of their focus on it because it's not world-ranked. And it's invitational, most of it.
We missed the likes of Gary Anderson, who wasn't there, when I think he deserves it. I don't know why or how the PDC selects certain players. We missed a couple of more, the likes of Gian van Veen and Dirk van Duijvenbode; they are brilliant Dutch players, and they were not invited. So I thought that it was a shame that they were not there.
Booing In Darts: “A Shame”
In the last two, three years, I have tried to change my setup every single week to get it right, and you have to because the standard nowadays is unreal.
So I went back to slim flights in my game against Cor Dekker, whom I was very lucky to beat on Saturday afternoon. I think the crowd really, really helped me. Not always in a nice way, but it happens.
It happens in Belgium; if you're playing a Belgian player, you get booed, or you get whistled. Or playing in Germany against a German guy. It happens everywhere at the moment; it's a shame, but because of that, Dekker was a bit overwhelmed and was missing crucial doubles.
Then I changed my setup to short stems, and I played a brilliant game against Gerwyn Price, and I was a bit shocked that he played marvelously at the end. But I was very happy with my last game, not the game against Dekker, but with the last game. I’m going to try more with the shorter stems and the new setup for the next couple of months.”
The Man To Beat: Luke Littler
Yes, he’s the best at the moment, the best player. He won the Matchplay, he won the UK Open. Yesterday at the World Series of Darts, he lost to an excellent Michael van Gerwen, but he’s the one to beat right now because I am really enthusiastic about his game.
Littler has such an easy throw. He’s currently irritated by the crowd quickly, and the crowd knows it, so they’re going to push more. So when he plays in Holland against a Dutchman, well… happy days.
And you also have it when you play in Germany. His bad luck was that England drew Germany for the World Cup first round. He and Humphries had the whole crowd against them.
But if these tournaments are in England, he never gets booed, he’s fine, and you always see that when he plays in his own country, he’s more relaxed and more able to do very well.
The Luke Littler Effect
Everyone sees that he was 16 when he beat me in the World Championship. Any player competition at that age is impressive. But to be like Luke Littler is something else.
I saw a lot of things in my life, the Phil Taylors, the Michael van Gerwens, the easy throw of Gary Anderson, but this kid looks like magnets are in his darts and magnets in the board.
He goes for the strangest finishes with the last dart on double 15, for instance, and he always comes away with it, because he’s so good and believes what he can do with it. It looks so easy. The 180s, the 140s, triple 19s, it doesn’t matter which double he goes for.
He’s the one to beat. Littler became runner-up, and Humphries went on to win. So maybe soon enough, he will be the new number one. Littler is the one to beat, and what he’s doing right now is phenomenal for darts. It’s also a big step for youngsters who can follow his dream.
Littler vs Gerwen Rivalry
Yes, Littler has taken a little shine off Van Gerwen. Michael was always the man, colourful, always great results. He’s played in so many finals it’s insane.
Luke is just starting and already in two world finals, UK Open wins, the World Matchplay, the World Series, and a couple of tournaments there. He’s winning Euro Tours, he’s the one to beat, and I don’t think Michael likes it.
That’s why he wants to show the world that he can beat Littler. And if you compare them, I still rate Michael as the better player. If Michael is in form, like this weekend, he had match darts against him in round one, survived, and in round two, a match dart from Rob Cross.
He survived that, and after that, no one had a chance anymore. He beat Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and then Littler.
If he is playing really well, it’s almost hard to stop him. But at the moment, it’s Luke Littler, because the PDC, the newspapers, and all the journalists are promoting and hyping him big time.
Sometimes I feel sorry for Humphries because he’s the number one, he was the world champion, he won all the majors. Humphries is an amazing player, a really nice kid. And sometimes I feel sorry that he never had the attention Littler got.
The Next Big Thing..
I really think Gian van Veen is a class player, and Wessel Nijman. For the UK, I’m not sure. Rock has already been there a while, and he’s getting better every single week. But you can’t say he’s the new Luke Littler.
We have to wait, maybe at Q-School in January, to see who turns up. Germany is coming up big time, Belgium is coming up big time, so I’m pretty sure that in the next 2–3 years, more players will come up.
The Increase In 9 Darters
I don’t know if the boards really are upgraded. I never spoke to the organisation or the people who make the dartboard. The only thing I can say is that everyone is practising hard. We are competing every single week in two or three events. So you need to perform well.
I practice on a Winmau board because that’s the official board. But it’s not that I hit nine-darters really often in practice, almost never. But more and more players are doing it at the moment, and that means so many good players can play so well.
To hit it is unbelievable. The one Michael Smith hit against Michael van Gerwen was amazing. Michael missed it first, and then Van Gerwen hit it. That was the best leg you can ever wish for.
I have no explanation. Are the triples wider than ever? I’m not sure. I can’t give you a good answer on that.
What’s Harder?: 9-Darter vs Hole In One vs 147
That’s a difficult one. Snooker is very hard, because you have to hit the ball at certain times. A hole-in-one, of course, is extremely difficult. But with a hole-in-one, it’s just one strike. If you hit the ball perfectly, it goes in. You need a bit of luck, but it’s one strike.
To hit a nine-darter, you have to do it nine times. With snooker, you have to pot the balls. So for a nine-darter or a 147, you have to be quality.
Even an amateur can hit a hole-in-one if he hits the ball right. I hear these stories around me. But a 147 break or a nine-darter, that’s really hard. I think the nine-darter is harder because of the crowd. In snooker, the crowd is always silent, and you can go in full concentration. But to hit a nine-darter on stage with 10,000 yelling spectators, that’s really tough. You have to really concentrate to achieve that.
Mental Strength In Darts
When I beat Phil Taylor in that 2007 epic final, I did a lot of meditation twice a day. I’m too lazy for it now; I can’t find my rhythm in it again. But it’s hard, especially with all these things around on social media, people abuse you, people tell you you’re bad.
That’s not easy. I’m not on social media anymore; my wife does that for me. So I have more rest in my head now than years ago.
Humphries did it. He had anxieties, and it helped him big time. Stephen Bunting does sessions. But recently, I heard other players have that as well. It’s not easy if you get beaten three times a week. Even for myself, I have to go back to the practice board and search for things.
I can be mentally fitter, maybe at the gym, maybe walking outside with headphones, maybe meditating again, or reading a nice book, or listening to music. It’s really important that you prepare yourself 100%.
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