Barney endures rollercoaster ride into darts final

Raymond van Barneveld reached the final of the PDC World Championship with a topsy-turvy 6-4 victory over James Wade at Alexandra Palace tonight.

The pair, ranked second and third, were never more than a set apart until the final throw but the Dutchman’s heavy scoring eventually proved too much for Hampshire’s Wade.

The first set went to the wire but Van Barneveld showed no nerves to take the lead in clinical fashion. The Dutchman was pegged back impressively, however, Wade responding with a clean sweep to take the second set and level the contest.

Van Barneveld took the opening leg of the third set but the 2007 champion, so impressive in beating compatriot Jelle Klaasen yesterday, exhibited the first signs of a wobble as missed chances allowed Wade to move in front by two sets to one.

The fourth set again went to the wire and this time it was Van Barneveld who took advantage of his opponent’s generosity – Wade hitting 13 when he needed only double two to win.

Wade was continuing to hit 180s but his lack of consistency was frustrating him as Van Barneveld took the lead in the fifth set. But he forced another decider and this time the Englishman did the necessary to edge back in front.

Continuing the see-saw nature of the semi-final, it was Van Barneveld who hit back in the sixth set to level things at 3-3.

The trebles were now eluding Wade, and as his opponent struggled, Van Barneveld piled on the pressure by breezing through set number seven to make it six legs in a row.

The Englishman stopped the rot in the first leg of the eighth set with an impressive checkout and the tables turned again as Wade’s confidence returned - van Barneveld failing to trouble the scorers as his opponent levelled.

But the second seed had remained cool throughout the match and he shrugged off the setback to charge back into the lead with a clean sweep of set nine.

Van Barneveld broke the throw at the start of the 10th and a 128 checkout in the next leg put him within sight of the winning post, and he made no mistake on his first opportunity to seal victory.