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Raymond van Barneveld hopes to bounce back from a disappointing World Championship by retaining the World Cup of Darts for The Netherlands.

‘Barney’ won the inaugural tournament in 2010 with Co Stompe, and believes that he can repeat the feat this weekend with Vincent van der Voort.

He said: “I think it will be harder this year because it is a straight knockout now. If you lose a game you’re out so we will have to be very focused and keep our concentration, but I’m sure we can do well. There are a lot of great teams but I think we are one of the pairs that are in with a great chance.”

The five-time World Champion wants to recover from his first round exit at the Ally Pally in style by claiming the first major title of 2012.

He said: “I probably didn’t practise enough in the last month or so before the World Championship. I played in a lot of exhibitions but not enough floor tournaments. I’m now practising every day again because it’s important for me to come back with a bang. It’s unfortunate that you can’t get ranking points for the World Cup but it’s still a televised tournament and I would love to win it again. I’m so proud to play for my country and to win a title for Holland is a fantastic achievement so I hope we can do it again.”

The Dutchman doesn’t feel that a change in partner will have any bearing on his chances of winning the tournament and he believes that teamwork is the key to success.

He said: “I’ve played with Vincent many times and we get along well, which is important. We will go there together and practise together. We are a team and that is how we will approach the competition. Our preparation is good, I know which doubles he likes to be left on and he knows which ones I like. We are not going as individuals, we will do everything together, talk a lot and hopefully that will show in our performances. Vincent is an ideal teammate.”

Van Barneveld is confident that he will return to his brilliant best, and hopes he can prove his critics wrong in the World Cup and the upcoming Premier League.

He added: “I feel fantastic at the moment. To retain the World Cup would be a fantastic start to the year and I am over the moon to be given a wildcard for the Premier League. I’m working hard to get in top shape. I played quite well in Benidorm last weekend, my scoring was fantastic.

“With a good performance at the World Cup I can get my confidence back, and then within a couple of weeks of the Premier League the old ‘Barney’ will be back. Some people may have written me off after the World Championship, but I believe in my own ability. Trust me, it’s still there, it hasn’t gone and I will make the ‘Barney Army’ proud of me again.”

By Chris Murphy

Vincent van der Voort heads to the World Cup of Darts with every intention of clinching his first major title.

‘The Dutch Destroyer’ is representing defending champions The Netherlands with Raymond van Barneveld, and van der Voort says he will do his best to ensure that his homeland retains the title.

He said: “Raymond won the tournament with Co Stompe last time so maybe there is a little bit of pressure because we can only do worse than that. It’s a new tournament for me but I will do the best I can, and if we are both at our best I’m sure we can win it.

“Raymond is a fantastic player and the reason why darts is so big in Holland. He could easily be number two or three in the world again this time next year. He has so much quality and he is a great friend of mine, which is also important when playing as a pair.”

The closest that van der Voort has come to winning a major title so far was at the UK open in 2007, when he was runner up to ‘Barney’. The world number 14 believes he should have won a major by now and hopes to rectify that in Hamburg this weekend.

He said: “Winning a major is something I’m gunning for. I think I have been a little bit unlucky in televised tournaments at times. For example, I lost out very narrowly to Andy Hamilton at the World Championship and he went on to reach the final. It is definitely something that I’m aiming for this year, hopefully this weekend.”

The 36 year old is regarded as the fastest player in the world and has recently enjoyed a surge in popularity. The Dutchman is delighted with the way that crowds have taken to him.

He said: “It’s unbelievable, I changed my walk-on song and all of a sudden everyone is singing my name and cheering for me. It was actually quite hard to deal with at first because I wasn’t used to that level of support. Now I have gotten used to it, I find it a massive help. It is fantastic.”

Van der Voort hopes that potential success at the World Cup can act as a catalyst for him to fulfil his long term ambitions.

He said: “Every darts player wants to play in the Premier League and I am no different. It is the biggest, most entertaining show in darts and if there is a player that doesn’t want to play on that stage then there is something wrong. If I have a good year on television this year, hopefully I’ll get the chance to take part. That would be amazing but it will take a lot of hard work to make it happen. I have just moved house and got a great practice room so as long as I put the work in, this could be my year.”

By Chris Murphy

James Wade performed consistently well in the first two Players Championship events of the year, showing encouraging form ahead of the 2012 Premier League.

The Machine stormed through to the semi-final of Sunday’s Spanish Darts Classic before being edged out by eventual winner Michael Smith. The world number Three also reached the last 16 of the Spanish Darts Trophy on Saturday.

Wade produced two 6-0 whitewashes en route to the last four on Sunday. He also claimed an impressive 6-1 victory over reigning Players Champion Kevin Painter.

The seven-time major winner hit a brilliant 161 finish in the semi-final, but was unable to see off in-form youngster Smith, who won 6-4 before beating Justin Pipe in the final.

The Machine will now focus his attention on preparing for the opening night of the Premier League in Manchester on Thursday 9^th February.

By Chris Murphy