Darts star suffers nasty fall during walk-on and apologises to crowd | Other | Sport
Raymond van Barneveld apologised for not signing things for people in the crowd during his walk-on at the German Darts Championship. The five-time world champion avoided an upset against host-nation qualifier Kevin Troppmann in his opening match on Friday. He secured a 6-3 victory to maintain his hopes of coming away from Hildesheim with some silverware.
Before the match, Van Barneveld deviated from tradition during his walk to the stage. Players are usually happy to sign items for those in the crowd but the Dutchman ignored those requests because he was desperate to avoid falling over. He explained that he nearly injured himself after failing to spot a gap in the floor at the recent World Grand Prix and did not want a repeat.
“Sorry for the walk-on, I didn’t sign the things,” said Van Barneveld in his post-match interview. “At the Grand Prix, there was a gap there and I fell down, so it’s been hard for me. I nearly got injured there. But tomorrow I’ll come back, it’s fine.”
Reflecting on his performance against Troppmann, the 58-year-old admitted that he was unhappy despite securing a reasonably comfortable margin of victory. He cited the stress of being on the road for several weeks as a contributing factor.
“I haven’t been home since the 24th of September,” he added. “Three and a half weeks on the spin, it takes its toll. I’ve been practising well, but not one 180 tonight and it was a really poor game.
“I missed six darts to go 3-2 up, then I lost that leg and let him back into the game. I was thinking: ‘What is this?’. I felt good, I felt comfortable, I wasn’t nervous, but I just couldn’t figure it out.”
Van Barneveld will face Jonny Clayton in the next round of the German Darts Championship and is acutely aware that he will need to improve to stand a chance of beating the Welshman.
“I’m happy with the win, of course, but tomorrow against Jonny Clayton has to be much better than this,” he explained. “I don’t know… I’m an old man.
“He’s a quality player, he reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix last week. He’s an amazing player, but I’m not scared. Tomorrow I’ll be there.
“This form tonight, it’s not going to last two days. I don’t know… I ate well, I rested, but all the travelling, the aeroplanes and everything, it makes you tired. I’m not the youngest anymore. I’m 58 now, and for a 50-year-old guy, it’s hard.”
Van Barneveld has failed to reach a semi-final on the Pro Tour this year despite playing in all 32 events. He last made the final four in a major at the Grand Slam of Darts three years ago, where he was beaten by eventual champion Michael Smith.
