Taylor looking forward to big Ally Pally clash with Barney
Published:
After a convincing 5-0 victory over Andy Hamilton in the quarter-finals, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor will face a familiar foe in Raymond van Barneveld in the semis of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship.
Taylor nailed The Hammer in a straight sets victory, which saw him post his first three-dart average of over 100 in the tournament. However, his Dutch rival has been playing well throughout the tournament, only dropping one set against Gary Anderson and Simon Whitlock collectively.
After his clinical display against Hamilton, Taylor visited the press room at the Ally Pally to muse on beating his fellow Stokie and his upcoming battle with Barney in front of a crowd of intrigued writers and pundits.
“The victory meant a lot to me. I’m through to the semi-final against Barney, which I’m looking forward to, and so is Raymond. Against Andy, I wasn’t feeling too well. I felt shattered but it was a good way to get it done”, said Phil.
“It’s very difficult to concentrate out there under immense noise and pressure. It’s very noisy and boisterous, and there are a lot of people in the crowd who aren’t even watching the darts. Fortunately, I managed to concentrate a little better than Andy tonight.
“The next game is creating a lot of interest, and that can only be good for the game. I think it’s good for us and that Barney’s playing the best darts here right now,” he added.
“He’s come through with flying colours and so has Michael van Gerwen, whereas. I’ve just plodded on and picked up the pieces where I can.”
The Power’s previous record against Barney is pretty impressive, with the 51-year-old winning every televised match since the UK Open in 2008.
However, he’s not taking him lightly, as he said: “He’s going to be thinking about it, but don’t expect him to roll over. He’s doing very well at the minute.”
Taylor is the favourite to win the match at 8/15.
Please Note: All Odds and Markets are correct at the time of publishing
