Dutch darts star Berry van Peer hit back at fans who called him a 'clown' for his pantomime villain antics in Wolverhampton.
And he claims his over-the-top performance, which saw him regularly try to rouse the crowd, were all part of a plan he made with his opponent to get them off their seats. Van Peer lost to Northern Irishman Josh Rock and exits his Grand Slam of Darts group without a win. He previously reached the last 16 of the tournament and is now back competing on the WDF tour after a struggle with dartitis which saw him close to retirement six years ago.
He went down comfortably to Rock, the much fancied PDC star ranked 26 in the world, who beat him 5-1 on the night. But it was a memorable match for the hundreds in attendance as Van Peer frequently gestured towards the crowd trying to get them going.
It led to a good atmosphere in the WV Active Aldersley arena with punters lapping it up and letting him hear it whenever he missed his target. But he revealed on Twitter after the game that some fans went too far - claiming he was branded a 'clown' for his eccentric antics.
He enjoyed himself though as the 27-year-old wrote: "I think it's hilarious people calling me a clown. I've lost 2x, I wasn't gonna go through anyhow. He was always number one in the group. What am i supposed to do? Not have fun? Great, I had fun, Josh and I had fun. I'm okay with it. I'm a clown, yes. Did I have fun? Yes."
And speaking on Viaplay Sports after the match, Van Peer let it slip that he and Rock planned all along to make it a spectacle. He said: "I was on stage here about six years ago with a lot of problems. Now I feel much better and I wanted to cheer up the audience a bit. Unfortunately, my level was not great tonight and it
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