"I took a beating here tonight" - Van Barneveld sees self confidence take a blow with Searle loss at European Championship
PDCFriday, 25 October 2024 at 10:00
For Raymond van Barneveld, the 2024 European Championship ended in a major disappointment. The 57-year-old Dutchman, who in the past twice reached the semifinals of this PDC major, went down 6-2 against Ryan Searle in his opening round match on Thursday night in Dortmund, Germany.
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Van Barneveld, who started the tournament as the 25th seed, did not play dreadfully but was still comfortably second best against a very impressive Searle. "I knew beforehand that this was going to be a very difficult match," Van Barneveld reflected to Dutch media afterwards. "I've never actually seen Searle throw badly before."
"I could not find enough trebles, although on the practice board it went very well. Only when I was down 5-0 I could throw some very good legs," adds the legendary Dutchman. "Maybe it was because I was suddenly more relaxed at the board. I threw another 10-darter and even had chances to reduce the deficit even further, but realistically the calf was already drowned by then. Ryan was simply the rightful winner tonight. He played extremely well and was in control of the match the whole time."
Raymond van Barneveld in action at the European Darts Championships
Despite the heavy defeat, it was certainly not that Van Barneveld underperformed. "I am throwing 96 average here and that is indeed not bad, but he punishes everything and just leaves me without a chance," he said. "Averages don't really say anything, I took a beating here tonight, that's basically what it comes down to."
With the Grand Slam of Darts, the Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship, there are still a number of majors on the schedule in the coming months. "On to the next one, but the quick elimination at this tournament certainly doesn't do any good for my self-confidence," Van Barneveld concluded.
Van Barneveld will be back in action next week, when Players Championship 29 and 30 will be played in Leicester, the last of this year.
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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