PDC World Champs: Barneveld Squeezes Out a Tight Victory Over Baxter
Raymond van Barneveld edged a sudden-death thriller with Ronnie Baxter to head three Dutch players in the quarter-finals of the 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
Wins for Co Stompe and Jelle Klaasen in Tuesday’s third round games saw them create an unprecedented Dutch presence in the last eight – but it was van Barneveld who stole the show at Alexandra Palace.
Van Barneveld claimed glory in the World Championship two years ago in a deciding leg against Phil Taylor – and had to repeat the feat just to set up a quarter-final with Klaasen on Friday.
Baxter missed one dart at bullseye for victory in the final set before missing two more at double eight in the sudden-death leg, before double top put van Barneveld through.
“Ronnie was superb but it’s all about doubles,” said van Barneveld. “I’m a very lucky man and maybe Ronnie deserved to win, but I got the final double.”
Van Barneveld had also defeated Baxter in a decider in the 1998 Lakeside Championship final, while his clash with Klaasen is a repeat of the youngster’s win in the 2006 tournament.
“I’m looking forward to playing Jelle,” said van Barneveld. “I’ve never beaten him on TV and it will be a very hard game.”
Klaasen continued his impressive run in the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Andy Hamilton, who hit 11 180s in defeat.
Stompe had seen off Wayne Mardle superbly in straight sets earlier in the day, while wins for Paul Nicholson and Mervyn King, against Dennis Priestley and Dennis Smith, saw them progress.
King meets Barrie Bates on Thursday, a game which will be followed by Stompe’s clash with 13-time World Champion Phil Taylor.
And Nicholson, the British-born Australian number one who has impressed on his Ally Pally debut, will face James Wade after the world number three defeated Dutch ace Vincent van der Voort in straight sets.
Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship
Third Round
Monday
Phil Taylor (ENG) 4-1 Kevin Painter (ENG)
Barrie Bates (WAL) 4-0 Mark Dudbridge (ENG)
Tuesday
Paul Nicholson (AUS) 4-2 Dennis Priestley (ENG)
Mervyn King (ENG) 4-1 Dennis Smith (ENG)
Co Stompe (NED) 4-0 Wayne Mardle (ENG)
Jelle Klaasen (NED) 4-1 Andy Hamilton (ENG)
Raymond van Barneveld (NED) 4-3 Ronnie Baxter (ENG)
James Wade (ENG) 4-0 Vincent van der Voort (NED)
Quarter-Finals
Thursday (7pm)
Mervyn King v Barrie Bates
Phil Taylor v Co Stompe
Friday (7pm)
Paul Nicholson v James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld v Jelle Klaasen
JELLE KLAASEN 4-1 ANDY HAMILTON
(3-2, 2-3, 3-1, 3-1, 3-2)
JELLE KLAASEN won a thrilling to encounter to end the hopes of Stoke ace Andy Hamilton with a 4-1 victory to reach the quarter-finals of the 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
The Dutchman – the 2006 Lakeside champion – defied 11 maximums from his opponent to reach his first PDC World Championship quarter-final with another impressive showing.
Klaasen won the first leg before Hamilton began the second leg by hitting seven treble 20s in succession.
His nine-darter attempt ended with his missed dart at the treble 19, but he won the leg in 11 darts to level.
Both players held their throws in the next two legs and that sequence continued as Klaasen took the deciding leg to open up an early lead.
Hamilton hit his fourth maximum of the game in the opening leg of the second set, which he took in 11 darts, before Klaasen leveled by converting an 80 finish.
The Dutchman missed four darts to break throw in the third leg and Hamilton capitalized to lead 2-1 in the set.
He recorded another maximum in the fourth leg, but missed a dart at double 16 for the set and Klaasen managed to level – before being punished for two missed darts for the set as Hamilton leveled the game.
Klaasen led the third set 2-1 despite three maximums from Hamilton before taking the fourth to break throw for the first time in the contest.
Hamilton opened up the fourth set with an 11-dart finish, before Klaasen won the next two legs, breaking throw in the third leg with a clinical two-dart 74.
The Dutchman missed two darts for the set in the fourth leg, but Hamilton was unable to convert his attempt at double 16 and Klaasen returned to hit double ten and increase his lead to 3-1.
Hamilton broke Klaasen’s throw for the first time in the match at the start of the fifth set, but was unable to hold the advantage as the Dutchman immediately hit back to win the second, and then went on to take the third leg to go within touching distance of victory.
Hamilton hit an excellent 14-dart finish to win the fourth but missed four darts to win the set and let Klaasen in to hit double ten and seal a great victory.
“It was very tough and it could have gone 4-1 to Andy,” said Klaasen. “He scored very well but my finishing was good again.
“I’m very happy with how the tournament is going and it feels great to be in the quarter-finals – but I want to go further.”
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 4-3 RONNIE BAXTER
(3-2, 1-3, 3-1, 2-3, 1-3, 3-1, 6-5)
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD edged a sudden death shoot-out against Ronnie Baxter to keep his hopes of a sixth World Championship title alive at Alexandra Palace.
The five-time World Champion fell 3-2 down and survived three match darts from Baxter, who produced one of his finest displays on television for some time only to fall to the narrowest of losses.
The victory for van Barneveld now means that he will face fellow countryman Jelle Klaasen in the quarter-finals, a repeat of their clash in the 2006 Lakeside final.
van Barneveld missed opportunities to break his opponent’s throw in the opening leg but won the second with a superb 10-dart finish.
Both players held their throws in the next two legs, and had chances to the set in the decider, but it was the Dutchman who came through by landing double ten to take the lead.
Van Barneveld broke throw at the start of the second with a 14-dart finish, but Baxter broke back with a two-dart 81 finish and won the third leg with a 13-darter to go 2-1 up in the set.
In the fourth leg van Barneveld missed two darts at doubles and Baxter landed double seven to square the game.
Van Barneveld hit a 141 checkout to take the first leg of the third set, and was on course for a nine-dart finish in the second after back-to-back maximums.
But after landing his seventh treble 20, his attempt at treble 19 was off-target, although he went on to win the leg and take a 2-0 lead.
Baxter won the third leg in 15 darts, but van Barneveld took the fourth with an 86 finish to win the set and regain the lead.
Both players held their throws in the opening two legs of the fourth set, before van Barneveld won the third leg against the darts with a superb 12-dart finish.
But van Barneveld missed two darts at doubles for a 3-1 lead, allowing Baxter to win the fourth leg.
And the Dutchman was made to rue those opportunities further as the Baxter hit a fantastic 123 checkout, finishing on the bullseye to level the game for the second time.
The Lancastrian, buoyed by winning the fourth set, then opened up a 2-0 lead in the fifth set, hitting a 14-dart finish in the first leg and converting a 65 checkout in the second.
Van Barneveld stemmed the tide briefly by hitting double nine to win the third leg, but Baxter hit a 95 finish to go ahead 3-2 and lead for the first time in the match.
Van Barneveld reacted well in the sixth set, hitting his seventh maximum of the game in the first leg and then breaking throw in the second with a fine 116 finish.
Baxter won the third leg with a 65 finish, but the Dutchman won the next by landing double 16 to take the match into a decider.
Baxter broke throw at the beginning of the final set and then won the second to go one leg away from the match, before van Barneveld won the third with a 76 finish.
Baxter missed a dart at bullseye which would have given him the match and van Barneveld landed a pressure double 18 with his last dart to take the match into a tie-break situation.
Baxter broke throw in the fifth leg but van Barneveld replied in kind to hit back and take the sixth leg.
Baxter missed a dart at double top to break again in the seventh, before the Dutchman landed double 18 with his last dart to take a 4-3 lead in the set.
Both players held their throws in the next two legs to give van Barneveld a 5-4 lead, before a sixth maximum of the contest from Baxter helped him set up a double six finish to send the game into a sudden-death leg.
Baxter won the advantage of throwing first and hit a maximum, but as the tension grew he missed two darts at double eight for victory, and van Barneveld hit a two-dart 60 finish to end an epic.
JAMES WADE 4-0 VINCENT VAN DER VOORT
(3-1, 3-1, 3-2, 3-2)
JAMES WADE claimed a quarter-final berth at the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship with a 4-0 victory over Vincent van der Voort.
The UK Open champion failed to hit top gear but van der Voort was unable to repeat to kind of form that saw him defeat Colin Osborne in the previous round.
Wade broke throw at the start of the match but failed to capitalize on that by missing three darts at tops for a 2-0 lead and van der Voort leveled.
The world number three broke the Dutchman’s throw for a second time in the set by hitting double five and then went on to take the fourth leg and go 1-0 ahead.
Van der Voort won the first leg of the second set against the darts, but Wade broke back on double ten.
He then won the next two legs, hitting a two-dart 60 checkout to extend his lead to 2-0.
Wade had opportunities to take a 2-1 lead in set three, but missed two darts at double top and van der Voort stepped to go ahead in the set.
Wade hit an excellent 124 finish on the bullseye to take the fourth leg, and then won the fifth in 14 darts to increase his lead to 3-0.
In the fourth the opening three legs went with throw, giving Wade a 2-1 lead before van der Voort hit double 18 to take the fourth leg.
Despite a maximum, he was unable to land double 19 to keep the match alive and Wade stepped up to land double 18 and claim a straight sets victory to set up a quarter-final against Paul Nicholson.
“I’m frustrated because I’m playing badly but still winning,” said Wade. “I know I have to step up my game but I’m trying as hard as I can and my preparation is perfect.
“It’s only a matter of time before it clicks in and I’ll be back producing what I know I can do.”
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