Raymond van Barneveld pays to tribute to incredible Rotterdam crowd
Barney: "When I came up here, I knew I wouldn't let these guys down. You never give in and you never drop your head down for a crowd like this"
Wednesday 18 April 2018 23:42, UK
Raymond van Barneveld struggled to hold back the tears as he insisted 'with a crowd like this, you can't give up'.
Van Barneveld came into tonight's Premier League action on the back of four successive defeats, but he returned to form in emphatic style after being roared on by an incredible crowd in Rotterdam.
The five-time world champion averaged 101.44, fired in four maximums and converted 47% of his attempts at double to keep his Premier League play-off hopes alive with a 7-3 victory over Simon Whitlock.
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"When I came up, I was looking for someone who wasn't in an Orange shirt," Van Barneveld joked.
The Dutchman has endured a disappointing run of form; picking up just seven legs in his previous four matches. However, he insisted that he could 'never give up' with such incredible support from his home crowd.
"I'm struggling for the last two or three weeks. I lost four games on the spin and tonight was really important to have a win against Simon, and tomorrow I'm looking forward to the Michael game.
"I'm still there; I still believe I can do it but I can't make any mistakes. With a crowd like this you can't give up.
"When I came up here, I knew I wouldn't let these guys down, no matter if I become eighth or seventh {in the table}. You never give in and you never drop your head down for a crowd like this. This is the best you ever can get," he told Sky Sports.
Barney received a hero's welcome during his walk-on and was serenaded with deafening chants of 'Barney Army' throughout the contest, and he admitted he could never have dreamed of enjoying such adulation.
"Last week I was thinking when we started playing in the pubs. I was playing in a pub in 'The Entertainer Bar' thinking one day, maybe I will be as good as Eric Bristow.
"Then you won a first world title but you could never ever have dreamed a crowd like this; everyone in Orange to give you so much support like tonight.
"To play here as Simon, against an away crowd - it's hard. I feel sorry for Simon tonight but these are the games you need to focus on and if you still do your job, I'm happy. I still believe I can do it."
Addressing the capacity crowd at the Ahoy Arena, an emotional Van Barneveld said: "Like I said earlier I got four bad results and tonight I was playing for you guys, maybe not myself, but you. You are the best ever."
Barney now takes on his fellow countryman Michael van Gerwen tomorrow night, in arguably the biggest game ever staged on Dutch soil. Despite this, Van Barneveld admitted that neither he or MVG wanted to collide in Holland.
"To be honest we both were not happy with this game. You want 100% support like tonight, so tomorrow maybe 50/50."
The 2018 Premier League heads to Rotterdam's Ahoy for the final night of a darting double-header on week 12. Coverage gets under way from 7pm on Sky Sports Action.
Three weeks of tungsten action will then continue in Manchester, Birmingham, and Aberdeen through to the season's conclusion with the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London. Keep up to date with the latest darts news, previews, reports, reaction and expert analysis. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts- don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
