Day 11 darts evening session review: Barney edges MvG in epic
Published:
Sam Barnard, Assistant Sports Editor | December 29, 2015
Day 11 evening session reaction
- Lewis thrashes Suljovic in session opener
- Anderson also whitewashes Van der Voort after devastating display
- Van Barneveld defeats previous tournament favourite van Gerwen in absolute epic
- Check out our preview for day 12’s action, and our reaction to the day 11 afternoon session
A night of darts at its finest
What a line-up fans were treated to for this day 11 evening session at the 2016 PDC World Darts Championship, and what a night it turned out to be as Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen played one of the greatest ever matches.
Barney overcame the young Dutch pretender on an epic 4-3 encounter, while earlier on Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson produced performances of the highest level too.
Adrian Lewis 4-0 Mensur Suljovic (3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 3-1)
Suljovic had chances to finish off each of the first three legs, and should have capitalised on Jackpot’s three missed darts on double 18 in the second, but was left to rue those opportunities as the former champion claimed the opening set to nil.
The Austrian was finally able to get himself on the scoreboard after the brief break, this time with the help of Lewis on what was certainly a nervy start to the night. However, Jackpot did regain his touch and with it the second set, after a 121 checkout along the way.
Englishman Lewis really was a man on a mission, and was able to make light work of The Gentle, who is usually such a tricky opponent due to his late rise in the game and tactics by playing at his own pace.
Two time World Champion @Jackpot180 coasts into the quarter finals! LIVE on Sky Sports Darts #LoveTheDarts https://t.co/PJuTwO8vRk
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 29, 2015
Noticeable finishes included a 161 from Jackpot, one of only two stars left yet to drop a set and he will be hoping to take that type of form to his quarter-final clash with one of Peter Wright or Dave Chisnall.
Gary Anderson 4-0 Vincent van der Voort (3-0, 3-0, 3-0, 3-1)
Defending champion The Flying Scotsman may not have had the best second half of 2015, but certainly lived up to his nickname against the exciting rapid-fire Van der Voort as he rattled off the first 11 sets.
Crowd favourite The Dutch Destroyer did see the funny side of things after he eventually claimed his first leg to stop Anderson from reaching perfection, but in the end he was just delaying the inevitable.
Sublime darts from Anderson! He drops just one leg! LIVE on Sky Sports Darts #LoveTheDarts https://t.co/87qofkC8Pf https://t.co/44qVk93BGr
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 29, 2015
The Scotsman put in an all-round display worthy of a second title here, smashing in 180s, high checkouts and a 101.58 average to set up a meeting with James Wade.
Michael van Gerwen 3-4 Raymond van Barneveld (3-1, 1-3, 2-3, 3-0, 2-3, 3-2, 1-3)
Barney knew he’d have to score big to have any chance of beating young compatriot Van Gerwen, however not even a whopping average of around 110 in the opening set was enough.
Mighty Mike will have seen Anderson’s earlier display, and needed to make a statement that he is the man to beat at this tournament – as if his average of 109.23 against Darren Webster wasn’t enough already.
Just listen to that crowd! What an atmosphere and what a match! LIVE now on Sky Sports Darts! #LoveTheDarts https://t.co/C3bhIZg8vH
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 29, 2015
But every time anyone doubts Barney, he always bounces back, and he clawed back to level the scores in thrilling fashion.
Van Barneveld let MvG have the upper hand in the fifth set after missing four darts at doubles in the third leg, but the more experienced Dutchman bit straight back with an incredible 124 checkout under pressure on his way to going 3-2 up.
Watching this darts match like… pic.twitter.com/6PfPfjNoU2
— Coral (@Coral) December 29, 2015
The crowd slightly settled at the beginning of the sixth set as Van Gerwen started off with relative ease, but it was just the calm before the storm that was to come.
After going 2-0 up, Barney clawed it back to 2-2 and just one leg away from reaching the quarters, but once again the match conjured up a stunning moment with Mighty Mike taking out a 135, with RvB waiting to finish.
10-darter from Michael and he is back in it! #WHDarts https://t.co/QzFafOvIqV
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 29, 2015
Five-time world champion Van Barneveld drew first blood in the decider, with a 101 checkout, and then held on to take out 72 to break the 2014 winner. A poor start by Barney allowed Van Gerwen to capitalise in a crucial third leg to get a magnificent 10-darter – the seventh of which in a row.
An epic. A classic. Just wow! Simply one of the best games of all time! RVB beats MVG! #LoveTheDarts https://t.co/4PE3qT7FiC
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 29, 2015
When everyone thought Barney had missed his chance, he did what he does best and broke his opponent to see out the match, one of the best you’ll ever see! Another young-gun in Michael Smith awaits The Man next.
Related
Check out more from our dedicated darts archive, where you’ll find much more on the 2016 PDC World Darts Championship.
