Michael van Gerwen defeats Raymond van Barneveld in World Championship classic
World champion Van Gerwen wins Dutch derby 5-4 to reach last four at Ally Pally
Saturday 30 December 2017 11:53, UK
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen set up a World Championship semi-final clash against Rob Cross after seeing off his Dutch compatriot Raymond van Barneveld for the second successive year.
The pair were meeting on the Alexandra Palace oche for the third straight year and in what promised to be another tungsten thriller, world No 1 Van Gerwen extinguished any hopes the 50-year-old had in another high-quality contest.
Van Barneveld produced a stunning performance to win in 2016, but Van Gerwen avenged the loss with a demolition job the following year. And the five-time world champion was unable to cope with his opponent's doubling success and coolness on the big stage as MVG ran out a 5-4 winner to set up a date with tournament dark horse, Cross on Saturday night.
Van Gerwen, who averaged 103.10 in a match which included 18 breaks of throw, told Sky Sports Darts: "It's didn't feel too good at the beginning. I was struggling a little bit, but I think everyone could only dream of a quarter-final like this.
"I didn't expect him to keep up his motivation for so long. I think I did the right thing at the right moment at the end. This game gives me good confidence."
Nobody was able to hold throw in a bizarre opening set, until the top seed cashed in with a neat two-dart 85 checkout after Barney failed miserably with three at double.
The two dynamos were having problems with their finishing in an odd Dutch darting derby, but Van Barneveld put the pedal to the metal to break through and he soon levelled matters with the first ton-plus finish of the match - a top-notch 121 finish.
Van Barneveld, the doyen of Dutch darts, missed two more set darts at his favourite double 18, and that allowed Van Gerwen to clean up 74 for the third set. And despite not being anywhere near his A-game, MVG was punishing the ninth seed at every opportunity. An 88 checkout followed by double seven ensured a 3-1 lead.
Mighty Mike was on course to record a new world-best for the highest-ever average in a set, but he missed a crucial dart at double eight to move 4-1 up and instead Barney rallied with a 12th break of throw in 22 legs of darts before landing a sumptuous 101 to narrow the gap.
Van Barneveld, who claimed his last world title in 2007, notched his second 121 checkout before hitting double eight to make it a level game.
A crucial missed double 18 proved costly in the seventh set for Barney as the 28-year-old upped his averages to sink a classy 108 before holding throw to move one set away from victory.
MVG failed to take one-dart at double 12 to win the match in the eighth set, while Van Barneveld kept his cool to send it the distance with a nerveless 84-out-shot and his last dart in hand.
Van Gerwen composed himself once again to nail a world-class 96 finish for a monumental break in the decider before cleaning up 80 to win a thriller.
"Rob Cross is a phenomenal player," added Van Gerwen on his semi-final opponent. "What he has done this year has been fantastic, but he hasn't beaten me on television. I hope I can keep it a little easy for myself."
The 2018 World Championship from Alexandra Palace continues with Super Saturday as coverage of both semi-finals gets underway from 7.30pm on Sky Sports Darts, Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Mix.
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