RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD returns to the scene of one of his greatest moments on Thursday night as the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts visits Bournemouth.
The Dutch five-time World Champion hit the only nine-darter in the history of the Premier League at the BIC in 2006, during a victory against Peter Manley.
Van Barneveld has twice achieved a perfect leg since in the Ladbrokes.com World Championship, but admits his nine-darter on the south coast ranks amongst the finest memories from his career.
Click here to watch Raymond van Barneveld's nine-darter in PDCtv
Click here for a Photo Gallery from Raymond van Barneveld's nine-darter in Bournemouth
"I love the crowd there, it's a lovely venue and I like the balcony around it," said van Barneveld.
"I remember having the nine-darter there against Peter Manley, which was fantastic. I'll never forget that day.
"I've hit seven nine-darters in my career, four on the floor and three on TV but that was my first on TV, obviously followed by the two in the World Championship.
"To do the first ever, and still the only, nine-darter in the Premier League is something I'm very proud of."
Van Barneveld warmed up for a game with Phil Taylor by hitting the nine-darter in the opening match of the 2006 event, hitting two 180s before checking out 141 to the delight of 3,000 fans.
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"To do the first ever, and still the only, nine-darter in the Premier League is something I'm very proud of," Raymond van Barneveld |
"Suddenly because of the relaxed feeling I hit the nine-darter. I remember in the ninth leg too, because the caller called 'ninth leg, game on', and everything just went right for me for those nine darts, it was amazing.
"When I left the venue that night with my manager there were about 50 fans at a kebab shop who started singing my name and bought me a kebab! That was fantastic, a great night."
The Dutchman made an impressive start to this year's Premier League with an 8-5 win over reigning champion James Wade at The O2 last Thursday, and is looking to continue that form against Stoke star Lewis.
"When I saw the schedule for the first four weeks, I had James Wade, Adrian Lewis, Simon Whitlock and Phil Taylor and I said to myself that I'd have to start very well, otherwise I'm going to struggle," added the world number two.
"I was really pleased last week and I hope I can improve on that against Adrian too because he has been playing some amazing darts in the last few months.
"In the World Championship he had three matches with over a 104 average and even in the quarter-finals when he lost against Phil he didn't play badly. He's a great player.
"I still remember the European Championship in 2008 when he beat me 9-2. He averaged over 108 and that was an amazing performance."
Van Barneveld had a month away from the game between the World Championship and the start of the Premier League as he continues to get to grips with being diagnosed as diabetic last year.
"My health is up and down at the moment," he adds. "In practice at times I am losing energy and when you do that you can't power your scores, but then I'll have a muesli bar or sugar tablet and hit everything.
"Managing my sugar level is very important, because you lose the energy to perform well. I think that's what happened in the game against Simon Whitlock in the World Championship semi-finals, because I was too tired.
"Since the World Championship I've lost five kilos and am going to the gym three or four times a week, and I'm eating more healthily than ever.
"I still have a long way to go but sometimes you need some time off to recover and to start building again and start believing in yourself, and you come back harder and better."
Click here to watch Raymond van Barneveld's nine-darter in PDCtv
Click here for a Photo Gallery from Raymond van Barneveld's nine-darter in Bournemouth
A limited number of tickets for the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts at The BIC in Bournemouth are still available - call 0844 576 3000 or visit www.bic.co.uk for further information.
2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week Two - The BIC, Bournemouth
Adrian Lewis v Raymond van Barneveld
Terry Jenkins v Simon Whitlock
Phil Taylor v Ronnie Baxter
James Wade v Mervyn King
Watch live on Sky Sports and Sky Sports HD 1 from 7pm. International viewers are also able to watch in Holland and Australia as well as online through the PDCtv section of the PDC's official website.
Click here for full Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts Ticket Information