Vincent van der Voort and Barry Hearn, for sure will never be best friends. In a new edition of the 'Darts Draait Door' podcast, the 48-year-old Dutchman vehemently disagreed with one of the PDC president's recent views.
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In his own podcast'The Barry Hearn Show', Hearn was asked about the best five darters of all time. The 75-year-old darts boss chose Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, Raymond van Barneveld and Luke Littler. Still quite a remarkable choice, especially to already include the barely 17-year-old Littler in that list when he has yet to win a single world title.
Van der Voort, who frequently disagrees with Hearn, didn't like that choice. "Hearn just looks at the players he has made the most money from. That's how he looks at it, because for the rest he doesn't really care. In my opinion, Eric Bristow should always be in that top five, instead of Littler. But he's making big money on Littler now of course, hence his choice."
Barry Hearn handed over the gavel at the PDC to his son Eddie in 2022. Since then, he has been active as "PDC president
Too early
"Littler will probably get in, but right now it's a little too early," Van der Voort continued. "We all expect him to get into that top five, but for now I think Bristow should be in."
Van der Voort can understand the choice of Raymond van Barneveld. Raymond has brought about the most. When he switched from the BDO, there was that rivalry with Phil Taylor. When the two got together, the PDC has benefited and earned a lot from that. That's why Raymond is in it."
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"I also understand the choice of Gary Anderson. He came over from the BDO just after Raymond and immediately made an impression. And his arrival was also very important for the Scottish market," Van der Voort concluded.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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