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DARYL Gurney put on a brave face for the punters after a thrashing from darts great Raymond van Barneveld.
The two stars shared a touching moment on stage following Barney’s 6-0 demolition of Superchin on Friday night.
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Van Barneveld averaged 98 as he raced to victory in the Czech Darts Open.
The 57-year-old veteran hit three maximums as Gurney was blown away in Prague.
Following the match, the world No. 26 could only shrug his shoulders at Barney’s dominance.
And he delighted the crowd by joining the darts legend for a rousing rendition of Sweet Caroline.
Gurney stayed on stage rather than scuttling off to the dressing rooms following the heavy defeat.
Linking arms with van Barneveld, the pair belted out the Neil Diamond classic to thousands packed into the EXPO Arena.
“Fair play to Gurney for staying on,” wrote one darts fan on X.
“Even singing together at the end,” added another.
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“Barney keeps rolling back the years. You love to see it!” commented a third.
Five-time world champion Barney will now face Gerwyn Price in the last 32.
Earlier in the evening, reigning champion Peter Wright made it through 6-5 following a thriller against Cameron Menzies.
Snakebite sealed the deal with a 14-dart break of throw following a topsy-turvy match.
Wright said: “Cammy has beaten me the last two times we’ve played on the European Tour.
Inside Littler’s massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.
“He’s a fantastic player and I knew it was going to be a tough game, but the crowd helped me here today.
“It was a pleasure to play in front of them.”
There were also wins for Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker and Nathan Aspinall on night one in Prague.
Aspinall will now face teenage sensation Luke Littler in the next round.
