Van Barneveld to face Littler as Smith goes out

Raymond van Barneveld playing at PDC World Darts Championship

Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld will face teenager Luke Littler in the last 16 of the PDC World Championship.

The Dutchman beat Wales' Jim Williams 4-1 on Friday and will meet Littler, 40 years his junior, on Saturday.

Warrington-born Littler, 16, has lit up London's Alexandra Palace with a remarkable run on his tournament debut.

Meanwhile, defending champion Michael Smith crashed out in the fourth round with a 4-0 loss to Chris Dobey.

Smith, who beat Michael van Gerwen in last year's final to win his first world title, could not find his rhythm as Dobey punished his compatriot's mistakes to reach the quarter-final on Monday 1 January.

"He missed a lot of doubles and let me in," Dobey told Sky Sports. "I wasn't feeling too good up here tonight, I was a bit nervy.

"He was banging in 180s early doors and I thought I have got to wake up. He has battered me numerous times, it is just nice to get one back."

On Thursday, Littler beat Canadian Matt Campbell in the third round to become the youngest ever player to reach the last 16 and said it would be "unbelievable" to face Van Barneveld.

Littler got his wish when veteran Van Barneveld beat Williams but the veteran has also had his eye on the youngster throughout the tournament.

"When I was 16 I was playing with Lego and Playmobil - this guy is something else," Van Barneveld told Sky Sports after beating Williams.

"I'd never watched him before [this tournament]. I've warmed to this guy - he's on another level. I can't wait to play Luke," he added.

The 56-year-old has not reached this stage of the competition since the 2018 tournament having won BDO titles in 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2005 before moving to the PDC and beating Phil Taylor in the 2007 final.

Van Barneveld retired in December 2019 before reversing his decision in September 2020.

"He [Littler] will definitely get his tour card next year. He's an amazing player but I don't play the player, I play the board," said Van Barneveld.

"I'm not afraid of Michael van Gerwen, I'm not afraid of [Luke] Humphries, I'm not afraid of Phil Taylor and I'm not afraid of Luke Littler.

"But to beat these guys you have to produce quality - and that's what I'm going to do."

A winner of five Development Tour titles in 2023, Littler has quickly endeared himself to fans after revealing he likes to celebrate victory with a kebab and has been made one of the favourites to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy on 3 January.

Later on Friday, three-time winner Van Gerwen thrashed Liverpudlian Stephen Bunting 4-0 to reach the last eight while Scotland's Gary Anderson beat Croatia's Boris Krcmar 4-1.

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