Monday 29 December 2014 18:03, UK
Rod Harrington fears that Raymond van Barneveld will be punished if he produces another erratic display against Adrian Lewis.
The Dutchman’s place in the tournament was in peril after he allowed Jamie Caven to stage a fightback in their second round clash, but ‘Barney’ eventually closed out a 4-3 win at Alexandra Palace.
Follow a sudden lapse in scoring, the 47-year-old regained his form in the closing stages and sealed victory with a 90 checkout, finding the bull with the last dart.
This victory set up a showdown with third seed Lewis in the last 16, but Harrington insists van Barneveld must raise his game if the 2007 winner is going to stand a chance of regaining the trophy.
“What Raymond did there, he won ugly,” said the Sky Sports expert. “It wasn’t pretty. There were great sets, but his consistency has gone.
“He’s got to take some positives out of it. Taking the 90 out under pressure, that takes some bottle. That’s what Raymond has done for so many years, but he’s got to be careful, he’s got to up his scoring a tad.”
Van Barneveld has been hampered by health problems in recent years, but Harrington insists he still must find a way to last the pace in gruelling matches.
“Sometimes a little bit as you get older, your concentration doesn’t hold for so long," said Harrington.
“I mean he is a diabetic, perhaps he hasn’t got that levelled out and his energy levels just come down.
"He’s got to work out a way of getting over that because there’s no sympathy in this game. They’re not going to go: ‘We’ll let you win a set because of that’. You’re going to get mullered.
“Against Adrian Lewis, Aidy has had a good, tough game, which will hold him in good stead for Tuesday night.
“Raymond, he’s got such a great game in him, but we don’t see it consistently enough at the moment to win this tournament. It’s there, but he’s got to drag it out of himself.”
