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    Darts royalty Raymond van Barneveld believes he has one more fairytale left to unfurl at Alexandra Palace – but admits Father Time is not on his side.

    The five-times world champion, who married his second wife Julia in Cyprus three months ago, is always a dangerous player to encounter in the draw when he's in love. Seven years ago, inspired by the arrival of his grandson, Mason, Van Barneveld knocked out former world champions Adrian Lewis and Phil Taylor on his run to the semi-finals.

    Now the Dutchman is mobilising his Barney Army for one last march on Ally Pally, saying: “I still believe I've got at least one more good run at the PDC World Championship left in me but the standard now is off the scale. Where do they get it from?

    READ MORE: ‌ 'I'm a PDC darts champ who went from depressive recluse to church-singing guitar nut'

    READ MORE: Gerwyn Price's ear defenders banned from Ally Pally 12 months after headphone antics

    ‌“I know I can do it, but I qualified for most of the majors this year and never made it to the second round, which didn't do a lot for my confidence. Hopefully the World Championship will be a different story – but to win it again is a dream. If I work hard and play well, anything is possible, but to lift the trophy is not realistic.

    “I'm not like a young dog any more, I know the years are catching up on me. I look in the mirror and I see a 56-year-old man.

    How far do you think Barney can go at the worlds? Let us know in the comments section below

    “If I get through my first match at Ally Pally, I could be playing Peter Wright, so I would be the underdog because he's ranked No.4 in the world and I'm No.29 now. But in my head I have to remind myself I'm a five-times world champion and I can still do it.”

    Barney will play the winner of the first round match between Mario Kantele and Radek Szaganski, which takes place on Wednesday 20th December.

    • Darts
    • Raymond van Barneveld
    • Peter Wright

    Source: Read Full Article