Raymond van Barneveld was eliminated in the finals of the Players Championship on Friday. The Dutchman lost to Belgian Kim Huybrechts in Minehead, England: 6-4. Michael van Gerwen, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Danny Noppert, Martijn Kleermaker and Jermaine Wattimena have passed the dress rehearsal for the World Darts Championship.
Van Barneveld shot slightly less than Huybrechts (average 95.21 to 100.93), but performed worse in doubles (26.67 to 46.15%). “Barney” lost his last leg, after which his competitor won.
Van Barneveld impressed last week by reaching the semifinals at the Grand Slam of Darts. He then lost to England’s Michael Smith, who also didn’t survive Friday’s first round.
Van Gerwen, Van Duijvenbode, Noppert, Kleermaker and Wattimena qualified for the next round. Kevin Doets, Gian van Veen, Danny Jansen, Geert Nentjes, Vincent van der Voort and Niels Zonneveld all crashed in the first round.
The top 64 darts players from this year’s thirty championship tournaments are active in the Players Championship Finals. The tournament is the last test before the World Cup, which starts in London on December 15th.
