Deadeye Dolan ready for a big Barney

Editorial Department • Published 23 Dec 2009 09:00 0 Comments

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Belcoo's Brendan Dolan faces a showdown with world number two Raymond Van Barneveld after defeating Tony Eccles in the opening round of the World Darts Championship.

The Fermanagh player thrilled the crowds in his opening match with a dominant performance against the world number 31, and he is confident he can continue that form and produce the shock of the tournament by defeating Van Barneveld and reaching the last 16 of the world's premier darts tournament.

"Raymond is going to be a tough man to beat, but I believe I have the ability to do it," said Brendan. "I played him two years ago and he beat me in Dublin and we haven't played since, but I think he's not mentally as strong as he was then and I think I'm a better player now. It's all about who produces on the day, but if I can start strong and play to a similar standard as the first round I'll definitely give him a lot of bother and I do fancy my chances of winning."

Brendan's 3-1 success over Tony Eccles was his first victory in the World Championships, and it came against a player ranked 12 places above him. Playing on Sunday afternoon, Brendan lost the first leg to the Englishman but then reeled off six successive legs to grab a two set lead in the best of five match. Although he lost the third set, he used the advantage of throwing first in set four to romp to victory.

"I had a good afternoon and I was pleased with the performance, and obviously the win was the most important thing," said Brendan. "I had the throw in the second set and I won it 3-0. I was playing well at that stage and I think Keith Deller said I had an average of 105 after the first two sets, which was great darts. I lost the next set 3-1 and I just thought that on my own darts that I had to start again. I ended up with a 95 average overall, and that was near enough the best of the day. Tony played very well as well so we were well matched, but my finishing was sharper and that made the difference."

Last year was Brendan's debut in the tournament but he lost out to number three seed James Wade in the opening match. This year however the emotions were very different as he punched the air to celebrate his victory against Eccles. "That is definitely the best I have played on television, although maybe not the best I have ever played," he said afterwards. "Maybe the experience of coming here last year, and knowing that missing doubles was my downfall, helped me this year."

The end of year showpiece event attracts huge crowds as well as hundreds of thousands of viewers on Sky Sports, but rather than being affected by nerves, Brendan relishes the high profile occasion. "I love people watching," he admitted. "It gives you a real buzz that people have actually come to watch you and makes you feel good about yourself. I just not the nervous type at darts because I'm well used to it."

Brendan's match against Van Barneveld will be broadcast live on Sky Sports just after 8pm on Monday December 28. That gives him just enough time to return home and celebrate Christmas between practise sessions, before returning to London's Alexandra Palace for the biggest match of his darts career.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 23 Dec 09

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