Raymond van Barneveld was eliminated in the second round of the Dutch Darts Championship on Saturday. The Hague native lost 2-6 to Ross Smith. Dirk van Duijvenbode, Danny Noppert, and Wessel Nijman did reach the round of sixteen in Rosmalen.
Van Barneveld faced a break behind after four legs. He came back to 2-4, but lost the subsequent two legs and thus the match.
On Friday, ‘Barney’ already had a tough time in the first round of the Dutch Darts Championship. He narrowly won against Jerry Hendriks, who played his first PDC match since 2019: 6-5.
Van Duijvenbode, Noppert, and Nijman did join the last sixteen in Rosmalen. ‘Aubergenius’ beat James Wade 6-3, Noppert won 6-2 against the Belgian Mario Vandenbogaerde, and Nijman surprised Peter Wright with 6-1.
In the round of sixteen, Van Duijvenbode and Nijman will face each other. Noppert will meet the Australian Damon Heta.
Earlier in the day, Michael van Gerwen withdrew from the tournament that is part of the European Tour. The three-time world champion has decided not to play darts for the time being due to a breakup with his wife Daphne.