Darts veteran Vincent van der Voort has branded former PDC chief Barry Hearn “a terrible person”. 76-year-old Hearn, who passed the PDC reins to his son Eddie in 2021, was at the helm for almost 20 years and was pivotal in propelling darts into the mainstream after surpassing the BDO as the sport’s premier governing body.
Van der Voort, 48, switched from the BDO to the PDC with compatriot Michael van Gerwen in 2007. Now contemplating retirement after an uneventful few years, ‘The Dutch Destroyer’ says he wants to go out with a bang at the World Darts Championship, which starts in December.
Yet, when asked on the Darts Draait Door podcast about whether he’d like Hearn Sr to bid him farewell after his final game, Van der Voort said: “I consider that chance very small.” He continued: “He’s a great businessman. He has really been an icon for the sport of darts, what he has put down… In terms of business we couldn’t have wished for a better one.
“But as a person, a bigger ashtray does not exist. On a personal level he is a terrible person, I think. In terms of business we couldn’t have wished for a better one.”
Van der Voort is a two-time World Darts Championship quarter-finalist, having achieved the feat in 2011 and 2015. However, since then he has failed to advance beyond the fourth round.
Despite only featuring in one major PDC event this year, the Dutchman says he’s keen for an Alexandra Palace swansong. “To say goodbye in a dignified way would be nice,” he said.
“Of course, it’s not for everyone. I also know what it is like to go to the World Championship and then you wake up in the morning already a little tense during the drive to Alexandra Palace. The feeling in the hall, throwing in. That would be nice to experience again.”
With less than two months to go before the tournament begins, defending champion Luke Humphries remains the bookies’ favourite. Luke Littler, who lost to Humphries in the final of the competition in January, is also considered a major contender, as are former champs Van Gerwen and Gary Anderson.