Grand Slam of Darts Daily Bet: Bye-bye Barney?

Darts / Jaymes Monte / 19 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

"I used to be one of Barneveld’s most avid supporters but I have come to the point where I can no longer side with him. My theory is that he came into the PDC believing he could topple Phil Taylor and become the best player in the world, but despite flirtations with that accolade he has been broken by the persistent brilliance of the world no.1."

Can Mervyn do the business against Raymond? Jaymes Monte thinks so

There can be no ifs or buts at the Grand Slam of Darts any more as we dive head first into the knockout stages of the tournament. The round of the last 16 will be a best of 19 affair meaning that there can be no hard luck stories and in theory the best player on the night will come out on top.

In truth there haven't been any major shocks in the group stages with Ted Hankey the only seeded player to make an exit thus far, and even that could be mildly expected due to his dislike of the boisterous crowds.

I spoke earlier in the week about the divisions within the PDC rankings and today we see the clash of Mervyn King and Raymond van Barneveld. Barneveld is a permanent fixture of that top three while King is in the chasing pack and is more than capable of giving the big Dutchman a game on his day.

I used to be one of Barneveld's most avid supporters but I have come to the point where I can no longer side with him. My theory is that he came into the PDC believing he could topple Phil Taylor and become the best player in the world, but despite flirtations with that accolade he has been broken by the persistent brilliance of the world no.1.

It is not uncommon these days to see Barneveld completely lose the plot in matches and begin to shake his head if a couple of darts slip over into the 5s. And against King he must contend with one of the fiercest competitors in the game. If Barneveld is on top of his game he wins this one comfortably but with his fragile mindset I am willing to take a chance on King @ [2.6]

Selection: Back Mervyn King to beat Raymond van Barneveld @ [2.6]