RICKY EVANS beat Raymond van Barneveld last night just weeks after the death of his younger sister.
Evans, 34, was understandably emotional upon securing victory over the former world champion at the European Darts Trophy.
Ahead of the contest, the Kettering-born star had posted online: “All set and ready for tonight’s match. This one’s for you sis.”
And Evans immediately burst into tears after the final dart of his emotional win was thrown.
Despite feeling overwhelmed, Evans still made sure to collect his darts and shake hands with the match officials.
“Rapid” then went over to Van Barneveld, although many fans were left disappointed with what happened next.
The straight-faced Dutchman, 57, appeared to give Evans a brief handshake before walking straight off.
Several fans were disappointed that Van Barneveld didn’t openly show more empathy for what Evans has been through.
One wrote on X: “Raymond’s utter lack of respect for Ricky in general, let alone given the circumstances he’s playing under right now is astounding. Shame on you.”
While a second echoed: “Very poor from Barney.”
A third agreed: “Barney should have given a better handshake considering the awfulness that Ricky Evans has gone though.”
And another added: “Barney should be ashamed of himself.”
However, Evans has since made it clear that there is no beef between the two throwers.
In a statement on Facebook this morning, he said: “I’m seeing Raymond get a lot of unnecessary hate on social media, and I just wanted to address this.
“Raymond was the first person to come up to me in Leicester at the recent Pro Tour events to offer his sympathy for my recent bad news, and I love and respect him massively.
“We have spoken this morning, and he wished me well for the rest of the tournament. There is no bad blood or issue at all between us, we both just wanted to win last night.”
Heartfelt tribute
Earlier this month, Evans posted a heartfelt tribute to his youngster sister Elisha on Facebook.
It read: “My beautiful little sister Elisha… I love you so much. I’ll always be your best friend.”
Rapid’s management team added at the time: “We send our deepest condolences to Ricky Evans and his family and friends, after the devastating news of the sudden passing of his sister Elisha. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Ricky.”
Evans was thrilled to have beaten Van Barneveld to advance to the next round in Gottingen.
The fans’ favourite said: “I didn’t care how I won – it’s not just beating Raymond, it means a lot to me.
“I’ve just won a game of darts after everything I’ve been through, so I’m the happiest man in Germany right now. I’m still in this tournament but this is huge for me.”
Evans will face Dave Chisnall next up.