RAYMOND van Barneveld is backing record-breaker Beau Greaves to qualify for next year’s Premier League, but only if he performs well at the World Darts Championship.
The 21-year-old has been guaranteed a spot on the Pro Circuit for two years from the start of the 2026 season and will compete in the Grand Slam of Darts, taking on Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Nico Springer.
She also became the first woman to reach a World Youth Championship final when she faced defending champion and new European champion Jan van Veen in the Players Championship final in Minehead later this month.
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Watch every nine-darter hit at the PDC World Championship
Dutch darts guru Van Barneveld admits ‘Bo and Arrow’ are ready to ’cause trouble’ at next year’s Pro Tour, with qualification for next year’s Premier League also a realistic ambition, as well as a strong showing at Alexandra Palace this winter – which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from December 11th to January 3rd.
“First of all, I’m very proud of her, you know, what she’s doing. She beat me 6-4. She beat Luke Littler in the semifinals of the World Youth Championship,” said the five-time world champion.
“That says it all, an 11-dart finish on the final leg! How amazing is that? And believe me, she’s going to cause trouble at the Pro Tour next year.
“No one can say to me, ‘Ray, are you embarrassed because you lost to a woman?'” Well, try your luck, friends. Try to beat her. show me!
“Right before she played me, she averaged 106 and beat her opponent 6-0. So you can say, ‘Oh, it’s a woman,’ but she’s a quality player. And she’s proud of her country, her family and herself.”
“If she performs well at the World Championships, I can guarantee she will get a ticket to the Premier League.”
Greaves, who topped the 2025 PDC Women’s Series standings, dominated the event, extending her 13-game winning streak to 86 games.
The Doncaster slinger’s last defeat was back in April, but he finished second in the Development Tour rankings and earned his 2026/27 tour card.
She gave the men’s world number one Humphries a scare with a history-making run to the fourth round at the British Open, eventually losing 10-7 despite leading 7-5.
“Before, people would say, ‘Well, she’s not a PDC member because she doesn’t have a tour card,’ but now she has one and it’s progressed so much. I think it’s great to see a woman of her caliber playing in the Premier League. I don’t see why not!”
“For eight weeks we watched Stephen Bunting struggle to win games in the Premier League against the best players, then he won one night, then won the Euro Tour, and now he’s back.
“But she has the ability to compete with the best players in the world because she is very good.
“She has a really smooth throw. What I like about her is she went 5-5 against Luke Littler, the best player in the world, landed 11 darters and finished with a two-darter 84 to get to the World Youth Championship final. That’s quality.”
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A behind-the-scenes look at Luke Littler’s defeat of new Sky hero Van Barneveld Original documentary Game of Throws – Inside Darts
Why is Beau’s throw the best in darts?
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Polly James and Chris Murphy assess how greaves affect PDC circuits. Hear the full discussion on the latest Love The Darts podcast.
Wayne Mardle drools over Greaves’ pitching action and Laura Turner admits it’s hard to disagree with her fellow pundit.
“Greaves’ action is beautiful and Wayne is one of those players, along with others, that if you want to learn how to play darts and throw darts you should look at Bo. It’s silky smooth and there’s no body movement,” she said.
“She has great rhythm and doesn’t make mistakes. She has to focus on her game from the beginning.
“When I beat her a few years ago, she wasn’t averaging a huge 80-90. What we’re seeing from her now is averaging around 90-100 on this steady basis. If you’re not on your game, and for me, to actually pass her, I’m probably playing the best game of my life. It’s very difficult.”
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On Love The Darts, Polly James and Glen Durant address Greaves’ comments, saying it’s ‘ridiculous’ to think a female player could win a world championship
RVB is not a fan of the current Premier League format
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Check out the best of the 2025 Premier League with Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.
The Premier League format has gone through many changes in its history, with 7-man and 10-man line-ups, relegated players, contenders and challengers all making an appearance.
The current format is that eight players are selected on 17 consecutive Thursday nights from February to May, with tournaments held each night, with points awarded for each game played over a best of 11 legs.
Points will go to a league table with the top four players after a 16-week qualification to the post-season play-offs.
“Earlier, when we saw Ray playing Phil (Taylor) in three weeks’ time, everyone was paying attention. But now every week it’s Michael van Gerwen vs. Luke Littler, Luke vs. Luke (Humphries), Luke vs. Gerwyn (Price),” Van Barneveld said.
“Now you can play three games and the next day you play Exeter or the British Open starts the next day. It’s going to cost you a lot. You hear about a lot of players suffering injuries and they miss the tournament because as long as you’re in the top 16 of the Order of Merit you’re in a position to miss the tournament.”
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