Cross Sends Barney Into Relegation Struggle
Rob Cross sent Raymond van Barneveld plunging towards a humiliating Unibet Premier League relegation in his retirement year.
The Hastings star dumped Barney 7-3 in Nottingham last night to leave the Dutchman well adrift at the bottom of the table.
RVB is fighting for his future with Judgment Night just a fortnight away after fellow strugglers Michael Smith and Mensur Suljovic both won at the Motorpoint Arena.
Barney blasted: “Well done to Rob he is fantastic player. I missed two darts to go 3-2 up and after that it was below par from me.
“It’s frustrating not to show you guys what I can do. No excuses. All my own fault.”
Cross said: “I feel great, I thought my performance could be a bit better. I started to miss a few things and match darts.
“Barney might be in his retirement year but he’s still got it. He’s just got to start believing in himself again and if he does that he’ll be back big time.
“It’s fantastic what he’s done for the sport and always helped me, I’m really grateful.
“I feel more comfortable than I did last year, I’m making improvements all the time and getting better. Last year I just didn’t know where I was!”
Mighty Michael van Gerwen ended Gerwyn Price’s unbeaten start to the league campaign with a crushing 7-2 win. MVG said: “The main thing tonight was to get back to winning ways, so I'm happy with that even though the performance wasn't fantastic. “For some reason tonight both Gerwyn and myself struggled to play our best game which is a shame but I got better towards the end of the game and ended up winning comfortably. “Of course I like to be top of the league and I know I have to work hard to stay there. I have to be at my best every week now to keep my record of topping the league phase every year since my debut season.”
Daryl Gurney fought back for 6-3 down to grab a vital draw with Peter Wright - after grabbing just one over the previous two weeks. Superchin admitted: “I’m disappointed. I could have won the game but in all honestly probably not. After the last two weeks I’ve been fighting with myself. “The last two weeks I’ve been practising well and then just playing rubbish. Tonight I was hanging in there just about because Peter was the better player. “I’m disappointed the way I played but happy to get a draw. I was probably very lucky. Hopefully I can move on from here. “I practised really we'll last week but James just showed me how to play darts. Honestly I’ve got no excuse. He just destroyed me and that’s the way darts goes sometimes.
Michael Smith produced a vital 7-2 win over UK Open champ Nathan Aspinall in a bid to avoid relegation. Bully Boy roared into a 4-0 lead and ‘Contender’ Asp never looked likely to stop last year’s finalist grabbing a vital win. Smith said: “I didn’t play my best game up there but lucky enough Nathan let me off in the first two or three legs. “It was tough for him. I remember my first night in Leeds when I had to play twice and got smashed. Nathan should have beat me to be fair. “I wasn’t on my top game but I took my chances and I got the job done plus get the two points on the board. “All I keep thinking is my first year of the Premier League being at the bottom and looking up at everyone. But last year I played really well. Tonight was massive for me because I didn’t want to be the first to lose to a Contender. “Nathan is a major winner, he proved that last week. But I needed those points.”
James Wade led the table before the the night began but was a shock loser to Mensur Suljovic 7-3. Suljovic said: “I think my performance was brilliant. I see James is No.1 and I beat him and I’m happy.”
By Phil Lanning (@lannomedia)
Mighty Michael van Gerwen ended Gerwyn Price’s unbeaten start to the league campaign with a crushing 7-2 win. MVG said: “The main thing tonight was to get back to winning ways, so I'm happy with that even though the performance wasn't fantastic. “For some reason tonight both Gerwyn and myself struggled to play our best game which is a shame but I got better towards the end of the game and ended up winning comfortably. “Of course I like to be top of the league and I know I have to work hard to stay there. I have to be at my best every week now to keep my record of topping the league phase every year since my debut season.”
Daryl Gurney fought back for 6-3 down to grab a vital draw with Peter Wright - after grabbing just one over the previous two weeks. Superchin admitted: “I’m disappointed. I could have won the game but in all honestly probably not. After the last two weeks I’ve been fighting with myself. “The last two weeks I’ve been practising well and then just playing rubbish. Tonight I was hanging in there just about because Peter was the better player. “I’m disappointed the way I played but happy to get a draw. I was probably very lucky. Hopefully I can move on from here. “I practised really we'll last week but James just showed me how to play darts. Honestly I’ve got no excuse. He just destroyed me and that’s the way darts goes sometimes.
Michael Smith produced a vital 7-2 win over UK Open champ Nathan Aspinall in a bid to avoid relegation. Bully Boy roared into a 4-0 lead and ‘Contender’ Asp never looked likely to stop last year’s finalist grabbing a vital win. Smith said: “I didn’t play my best game up there but lucky enough Nathan let me off in the first two or three legs. “It was tough for him. I remember my first night in Leeds when I had to play twice and got smashed. Nathan should have beat me to be fair. “I wasn’t on my top game but I took my chances and I got the job done plus get the two points on the board. “All I keep thinking is my first year of the Premier League being at the bottom and looking up at everyone. But last year I played really well. Tonight was massive for me because I didn’t want to be the first to lose to a Contender. “Nathan is a major winner, he proved that last week. But I needed those points.”
James Wade led the table before the the night began but was a shock loser to Mensur Suljovic 7-3. Suljovic said: “I think my performance was brilliant. I see James is No.1 and I beat him and I’m happy.”
By Phil Lanning (@lannomedia)