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Barney ends Taylor dream
- Updated: December 30, 2016
Raymond van Barneveld ended his old rival Phil Taylor’s hopes of furthering his legacy at the World Darts Championship on Friday.
Van Barneveld, a decade after beating Taylor in a last leg shoot-out in the 2007 final, dished out a 5-3 win in the quarter-finals to set up a tie against Michael van Gerwen, who earlier beat Daryl Gurney 5-1.
Taylor, the 16-time world champion and third seed, has now gone four years without adding to his unrivalled trophy haul after falling short against an opponent he has beaten 56 times since first playing him in 1990.
Taylor’s illustrious history at the World Championship includes a 2009 win in the final against Van Barneveld, plus two semi-final victories since, but their latest meeting occasionally resembled a pair of battle-worn heavyweights trying to recapture past glories.
A nervy opener went Van Barneveld’s way on a knife edge, before the Dutchman found some rhythm with a stylish 152 checkout. That, however, wasn’t enough to prevent Taylor completing the match’s first break of …
