Price Batters Barney

Top seed Gerwyn Price dispatched Raymond van Barneveld to seal his place in the last 16 on a dramatic night of third-round action at the Cazoo World Darts Championship on Tuesday.

Price was without a win in his previous six televised tussles against the Dutchman, but he made a blistering start, converting clinical 84, 68, 87, 117 and 66 combinations to race into a two-set lead.

Van Barneveld responded with 125 and 147 finishes in his bid to launch a fightback, but he paid the price for spurning one set dart in the third, as Price sealed the deal with a superb 128 finish on double ten.

“I needed to start well, put Raymond under pressure and I did that,” reflected Price, who suffered two defeats against Van Barneveld at last month’s Grand Slam of Darts.

“In the Grand Slam I let Raymond off so many times and I didn’t want to do that tonight. I wanted to be clinical.

“I’m defending a lot of ranking points and I want to lift the trophy, so it’s been really difficult, but I’m looking forward to the last 16 and there’s not as much pressure on me now.”

2022/23 Cazoo World Darts Championship
Tuesday December 27
Afternoon Session
3x Third Round
Dimitri Van den Bergh 4-1 Krzysztof Ratajski (3-2, 3-0, 0-3, 3-1, 3-1)
Josh Rock 4-3 Nathan Aspinall (3-2, 1-3, 1-3, 3-1, 3-2, 0-3, 3-1)
Jonny Clayton 4-1 Brendan Dolan (3-2, 3-2, 3-2, 2-3, 3-2)

Evening Session
3x Third Round
Gabriel Clemens 4-3 Jim Williams (3-1, 0-3, 3-2, 2-3, 1-3, 3-2, 3-1)
Gerwyn Price 4-0 Raymond van Barneveld (3-1, 3-1, 3-2, 3-1)
Kim Huybrechts 4-1 Peter Wright (0-3, 3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 3-2)

Wednesday December 28
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x Third Round
Ryan Searle v Jose de Sousa
Danny Noppert v Alan Soutar
Gary Anderson v Chris Dobey

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Third Round
Joe Cullen v Damon Heta
Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic
Michael Smith v Martin Schindler

—–ENDS—–

Images: Kieran Cleeves / PDC

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