"I was very ill in January, and it’s still taking its toll" - Raymond van Barneveld battles to 'crap' win over Cam Crabtree at Belgian Darts Open 2025

Raymond van Barneveld made a strong start at the 2025 Belgian Darts Open, defeating Cameron Crabtree 6-4 in the opening round. The 57-year-old Dutchman now faces James Wade in the next round. Van Barneveld later revealed that he had been severely affected by illness in January and is still feeling the aftereffects.

This victory was a welcome relief for Van Barneveld, who had suffered a crushing defeat to Dimitri Van den Bergh in the fourth round of the UK Open the previous weekend. Although he never reached his top form, his opponent also failed to make an impression. "I was really nervous at the start, I don’t know why. Last week at the UK Open, I tried several setups, but they didn’t work. So, in front of a crowd like this, I was quite nervous," said Van Barneveld in his post-match interview afterwards.
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‘Barney’ made an early breakthrough against Crabtree, but was unable to follow up on it, which kept the match tense. It wasn’t until the final stages that he was able to close it out. "I put myself in trouble. 60s, 45s... That wasn’t happening on the practice board, where I was only hitting 140s and 180s. But I’m happy with the win; it wasn’t an easy match for me. What can I say, it was ‘crap’."

Van Barneveld also debuted a new pair of shoes from New Balance. "They’re much higher, so I feel more comfortable. I used to always wear traditional shoes. Mickey Mansell said, ‘you’re the only one still wearing those old shoes.’"

Due to health issues, Van Barneveld has had a particularly tough start to 2025. "I’ve been struggling mentally in recent weeks. I was very ill in January, and it’s still taking its toll. I’m tired every day, so I’m just trying to fight my way to better results."