Michael van Gerwen won the Dutch clash with Raymond van Barneveld on Monday in the first round of the World Matchplay. ‘Mighty Mike’ won the match in Blackpool 10-6 in legs.
The match between the two darting champions had been long-awaited, including in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Van Barneveld even became emotional during his entrance when a full house chanted his name.
‘Barney’ briefly revived old times. Partly due to a series of misses by Van Gerwen, the player from The Hague turned a 3-1 deficit into a 3-4 lead. After that, Van Gerwen was much stronger, despite Van Barneveld changing darts during the match.
Van Gerwen and Van Barneveld certainly didn’t make it a top match. Van Gerwen recorded an average of 92.95 points per three darts, but missed a staggering 22 darts on the doubles. Van Barneveld disappointed with an average of 87.78 points per three darts.
In the next round, Van Gerwen will play Ross Smith or Josh Rock. Those two will face each other later in the evening in Blackpool. The World Matchplay is one of the biggest darts tournaments of the year. The winner of the ‘summer World Cup’ receives 230,000 euros. Van Gerwen has already won the tournament three times.