'I was very ill in January, and it’s still taking its toll' - Raymond van Barneveld battles to 'crap' win over Cam Crabtree at Belgian Darts Open 2025

Raymond van Barneveld made a strong start at the 2025 Belgian Darts Open, defeating Cameron Crabtree 6-4 in the opening round. The 57-year-old Dutchman now faces James Wade in the next round. Van Barneveld later revealed that he had been severely affected by illness in January and is still feeling the aftereffects.

‘Barney’ made an early breakthrough against Crabtree, but was unable to follow up on it, which kept the match tense. It wasn’t until the final stages that he was able to close it out. "I put myself in trouble. 60s, 45s... That wasn’t happening on the practice board, where I was only hitting 140s and 180s. But I’m happy with the win; it wasn’t an easy match for me. What can I say, it was ‘crap’."