Barry ready for Ally Pally debut

Keane Barry from Duleek will carve his name in darts history tomorrow (Monday) when he makes  his debut appearance in the William Hill World Darts championships at the famous Alexandra Palace, London. 

The 17-year-old, who is also known as 'Dynamite' will become the youngest Irish player ever to appear in the championships and he has been drawn to play against the highly-ranked Dutch opponent Vincent van der Voort. 

Barry says he is ready for the challenge of pitting his skills against the best in the world and he's determined to enjoy the experience. 

 "It's not the best draw but it's not the worst draw because Vincent is a fast player and he just wants to get on with the game - same as me.

"I mean it's just two lads up there throwing darts. There's going to be no slowing down, just a normal game. I wasn't really thinking too much about who I was playing," said Barry who is one of eight Irish players taking part in the championships. 

Barry says that above all else he is going to enjoy the expereince of playing in the Palace which is also known as the Ally Pally.  

The 17-year-old has also qualified for the Junior Darts Corporation World Championships in the Palace on Saturday 21st December. The World Championships started on Friday with 500,000 euro going to the winner. 

Barry is one of 96 players who will be competing for the £2.5 million in total prizemoney. Barry booked his place in the World Championships when he won the 2019 Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay defeating Liam Gallagher 6-5 in dramatic circumstances at CityWest in a contest the Meath player will surely remember for a long time.

It was a contest that went right down to the wire but the Barry prevailed and now he's about to really step into the big time. 

Barry, who attended school in Drogheda, works with his father's scaffolding business told the Meath Chronicle he spends no more than 90 minutes or so practicing each day.

"I would spend an hour or an hour and 30 minutes, I wouldn't be someone who spends a lot of time practicing. Some might do two or three hours. but I prefer one hour or an hour-and-a-half, it's what works for me."

Barry is enjoying a rich vein for form this year. He has claimed a number of Irish titles including the Youths Irish Masters. He claimed success at youth level in the international open in Gibraltar and also won the Northern Ireland Matchplay title in Newry.