Friday 10 November 2017 14:05, UK
Raymond van Barneveld cut his teeth on the British Darts Organisation circuit before finding glory with the Professional Darts Corporation. The Grand Slam of Darts brings both organisations together.
This is the only tournament that brings the BDO and PDC together…
Barney: The BDO players are nicking our ranking points! It's a ranking event now. This will cost eight PDC players their position, ranking points and prize money. The BDO players have nothing to lose.
A couple of years ago it wasn't [a ranking tournament]. Now it's ranked and we have eight BDO players.
So is there a BDO vs PDC rivalry?
We accept the players, and respect them. In the past we have had Andy Fordham, Terry O'Shea and Martin Adams and we have huge respect for them. There is no problem.
What is the difference between playing in the BDO and the PDC?
Barney: They aren't many competitions in the BDO. They focus on a big tournament every January but we play every week with 10,000 fans at floor tournaments.
Who is the best BDO player?
Glen Durrant, of course. I played him last year in the last-16 - we had an amazing game, we both loved it.
Danny Noppert is a BDO talent from the Netherlands…
Barney: He certainly is. He's from Friesland in the Netherlands where the people are always easy and laid-back, they are never angry. Danny is the same. He is a good player but I don't know how consistent he is.
You were a four-time BDO champion before crossing the divide…
Barney: My roots are still there. Once a year I give an exhibition at Lakeside and it feels simply amazing - [that feeling] will never ever go away.
But darts is changing. There is more money, more TV in the UK, Holland, Germany, Belgium. We go from Dubai to Auckland. [The PDC] is where you want to be, if you are a good darts player. You become a better player by competing with the best.
Can you repeat your 2012 Grand Slam victory?
Barney: I'm in a group with Steve Lennon, Gerwyn Price and Jamie Hughes of the BDO who are all amazing players so I first need to get through.
I am in Group B, and if I survive that, I will probably play Michael van Gerwen or Rob Cross in the next phase so that will be tough.
The Grand Slam of Darts gets underway live on Sky Sports on Saturday November 11 with a double session as the best of the PDC compete against the best of the BDO.
Keep up to date with the news as the tungsten enters its busiest time of year with the PDC World Championships just around the corner get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts.
