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Photo: Lawerence Lustig/PDC

Raymond van Barneveld and Simon Whitlock go to head to head in Bournemouth on Thursday, as the pair bid to move a step closer to sealing a play-off spot, while James Wade aims to do the same when he faces Andy Hamilton on week eleven of the McCoy’s Premier League.

‘Barney’ and ‘The Wizard’ kick off proceedings at the sold-out BIC , with the Dutchman trailing his Australian opponent by two points in the league table.

Van Barneveld heads into the clash in strong form, after winning both Speedy Services UK Open qualifiers in Barnsley last weekend.

“Simon is a great player,” said van Barneveld, who hit a nine darter on the way to the first of his two victories.

“I played him on Saturday and was 3-0 down and won 6-5, even though he started with a 180 in the last leg.

“We always have close games, he’s a fantastic player and he averaged 103 last week so I’ve been warned.

“I’ve got to prepare myself right because I’ve still got four games left and my target is to get four or six points to make sure I qualify.”

Whitlock also has every reason to be confident, after winning his last two McCoy’s Premier League matches, both with ton-plus averages.

Photo: Lawerence Lustig/PDC

The quality and form of both players, paired with the significance of the clash in terms of the race for a semi-final spot, indicates that all the ingredients are there for the pair to serve up a classic.

Whitlock said: “Every time we play it’s a ding-dong battle. We’ve put on some good shows in the last couple of years and I think this will be another.

“We all love Raymond and it makes darts interesting again with him playing well. Barney had a bad couple of years, but it is good to see him play well again.”

Wade, who is sandwiched between the two and sits in third, takes on Hamilton in the third game of the evening.

A win for ‘The Machine’ would take his points tally up to twelve, and closer to ensuring that he is involved on finals night.

He said: “A win against Andy could stretch the table out but the way I’ve been playing, anything can happen. I’ve got a tournament average of 95 and against everyone else it’s not good enough.

“Andy’s doing well, as is Kevin Painter. It’s their first year in the Premier League and it’s hard, and they’re both there or thereabouts on points, and in the first four or five weeks Andy played really well.”

In between those two matches, Gary Anderson and Painter do battle to keep their play-off hopes alive.

The curtain will be brought down on a another exciting evening when Phil Taylor meets Adrian Lewis in what is set to be a thrilling encounter.

By Chris Murphy

Raymond van Barneveld completed a delightful double at Barnsley Metrodome by winning Sunday’s Speedy Services UK Open Qualifier Six.

Photo: Lawerence Lustig/PDC

The resurgent Dutchman beat Ian White 6-2 in the final, to claim his second title in as many days, having won the fifth qualifying event on Saturday.

‘Barney’ enjoyed victories over Bernd Roith, Kevin Dowling, Tony West and Darren Johnson before seeing off world number six Wes Newton in a close last 16 clash.

The five-time world champion then beat two fellow World Championship winners, defeating Dennis Priestley 6-1 and Richie Burnett 6-2, before victory over White sealed his brilliant double success.

Van Barneveld had trailed his opponent 2-1 before taking five consecutive legs to clinch the £6000 prize money. That, combined with the £6400 he collected for Saturday’s triumph and nine-dart finish, moves ‘Barney’ back into the top eight in the PDC Order of Merit.

“Not many players win both tournaments in a weekend so I’m really proud,” said van Barneveld, who has been enjoying something of a revival in 2012.

“That says a lot about the kind of player you are; I’m working out now in the gym, I feel fit, I feel awake and I feel confident.

“The first couple of games I wasn’t pleased with but after that I gained confidence and the rest of the day was awesome. I’m really pleased to have won both finals.”

‘Barney’ will be hoping to take this kind of form to Bournemouth on Thursday, where he faces Simon Whitlock in the McCoy’s Premier League.

By Chris Murphy

Raymond van Barneveld claimed victory in Saturday’s Speedy Services UK Open Qualifier Five at the Barnsley Metrodome, hitting a sensational nine-dart finish along the way.

Photo: PDC

The popular Dutchman beat Andy Smith 6-3 in the final to clinch his first Pro-Tour triumph since last September, earning himself £6000 in prize money for the win, plus a £400 bonus for his perfect leg.

That nine-darter, his ninth since joining the PDC, came in a third round success over Michael Barnard, after he had already seen off Sam Hill and Mareno Michels.

The five-time world champion then overcame the challenges of Simon Whitlock and Brendan Dolan in close encounters, winning both games 6-5 to progress to the semi-finals.

‘Barney’ beat Terry Jenkins 6-4 to reach the final, where he sealed victory over Smith with an impressive average of 102.74. The Dutchman ended a successful day in style by hitting a 117 checkout in the winning leg.

“I’m very happy with the win,” said van Barneveld. “It was a tough day and it was a good final against Andy.

“I had some tough games but I believed in myself today and I’m really pleased. I was 3-0 down against Simon Whitlock and came back to win, I had a marvellous game with Brendan Dolan and I was 4-3 down against Terry Jenkins and won.

“In January I said I was going to play more tournaments on the floor and these tournaments are really hard to win so I’m happy today. I’m really pleased with the nine-darter. I’m working hard and it’s paying off.”

By Chris Murphy