Sporting Life
Jonny Clayton (Picture: Chris Dean/PDC)
Jonny Clayton (Picture: Chris Dean/PDC)

Grand Slam of Darts results: Michael van Gerwen loses to Jonny Clayton while James Wade & Gary Anderson win

By Chris Hammer
Darts
Mon November 12, 2018 · 6y ago

Michael van Gerwen suffered a shock defeat to Jonny Clayton at the Grand Slam of Darts while Gary Anderson and James Wade recorded brilliant wins.

Scroll down for afternoon round-up, results & updated standings

Evening round-up

Jonny Clayton pulled off a huge shock as he defeated Michael van Gerwen 5-4 in a quite incredible match on day two of the Grand Slam of Darts.

The three-time defending champion, who had won his last 22 matches in this tournament dating back to 2014, was averaging over his own world record televised mark of 123.40 when leading 3-1 of their Group A contest although the Welshman was firing well over 110 figures too.

Although his scoring started to fall, MVG still found himself with three match darts in his hands at 4-3 up but missed them all and Clayton pounced with a 58 checkout to force a deciding leg.

The Welshman, ranked 17 in the world, picked the perfect time to throw his third 180 of the match before further visits of 85 and 137 left tops, which he took out on the second attempt to claim a famous win which puts him top of Group A with two wins from two.

Clayton finished with an average of 104, hitting five of his eight double attempts while MVG ended up on 108 and hit four 180s but was made to pay for missing seven darts at doubles.

The world number one, who had his dominance questioned following disappointing exits at the European Championship and World Series of Darts Finals, should still qualify for the knockout stages but will need to defeat Joe Murnan in his final group game on Tuesday night to make sure.

Murnan sits bottom of the table with two defeats after he spurned a 4-1 lead against Gary Robson.

The veteran BDO player made two checkouts of 118 in the match but his second forced a deciding leg, which he won in 14 darts but only after Murnan missed two attempts at double 12.

Gary Anderson hit seven 180s in a sparkling display as he thrashed Ian White 5-1 in Group D to seal his progression to the knockout stages.

The Flying Scotsman is hoping to win this Sky Sports-televised event, which features 24 PDC players and eight from the BDO, for the first time in his career and on this evidence will surely go close.

Anderson, who won his maiden UK Open, World Matchplay (making a nine-darter along the way!) and Champions League titles this year, recorded an average of 112.54 which is the fourth highest in Grand Slam history, and also hit five of his seven attempts at doubles, giving White no chance.

Diamond will next meet the BDO's Michael Unterbuchner, who kept his hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive as he brushed aside Steve Hine 5-2 thanks to an impressive average of 97 which was helped by him taking out five of his seven attempts at doubles.

James Wade maintained his sparkling run of form as he made three 100+ checkouts and averaged 105 in a 5-3 victory over Keegan Brown.

The in-form Machine, who came into this event on the back of ending his near five-year wait for major glory by winning the European Championship and World Series of Darts Finals in successive weeks, has now won 12 matches on the trot, including his opening Group C encounter on Saturday.

Wade checkout out from 121 for a 12-darter in the second leg before nailing 105 in the next to move 2-1 up and although Brown did make a real game of it with a 102 average of his own, the new dad finished him off with another fine finish from 101.

All five of Wade's legs came in 15 legs or fewer while he only missed three darts at doubles.

Also in Group C, Wesley Harms bounced back from his 5-0 thumping at the hands of Wade by beating Mark Webster 5-3.

The BDO player, who averaged 89 but punished Webster for 10 missed darts at doubles, must still beat Brown in Tuesday's final group matches to stand a chance of going through.

Raymond van Barneveld survived four match darts which would have sent him crashing out of the Grand Slam of Darts as he claimed a 5-4 victory over Adam Smith-Neale of the BDO.

The 2012 champion of this Sky Sports-televised event, which features 24 PDC players and eight from the BDO in a round-robin format, was leading his second Group B encounter 4-3 before Smith-Neale nailed a stunning 110 checkout under pressure to force a decider.

But the 2018 World Masters champion blew his first chance on double 16 when Barney was waiting on 78 and then another three before the Dutchman kept his cool on two 10s.

Van Barneveld, who is bidding to win his first major individual title for over five years, lost his opener against Krzysztof Ratajski on Saturday so he'll need to beat Michael Smith in his final group game on Tuesday night to progress.

Bully Boy sits top of the group with maximum points after coming through a thrilling clash to beat the dangerous Krzysztof Ratajski 5-4 thanks to a cool 13-darter in the deciding leg.

Smith hit four 180s, averaged 97 and made five of his seven attempts at doubles while his Polish opponent was almost as impressive as he averaged 99 and made 50% of his doubles.

Afternoon round-up

World champion Rob Cross booked his place in the Grand Slam of Darts knockout stages as he made it two wins out of two in Group H with a pulsating 5-4 victory over Dimitri van den Bergh in Wolverhampton.

Voltage averaged 98, which was a couple of points lower than the defending World Youth champion, but it was his finishing that was the key to victory as he nailed five of his seven attempts at doubles.

Mark McGeeney of the BDO bounced back from Saturday's defeat to Cross by claiming a crucial 5-3 triumph over Ryan Searle which boosts his chances of qualifying for the knockout stages ahead of Monday night's crunch clash with van den Bergh.

Peter Wright is another big name to maintain a 100% record after two matches as he followed up his 5-4 win over Jim Williams on Saturday with a more comfortable 5-2 success over rising German star Max Hopp.

Unlike Cross, the 2017 runner-up, sporting a special tribute hairstyle on Remembrance Day, is still not assured a spot in round two but he's certainly in the box seat after averaging 98 and pinning 55% of his doubles while Hopp, who averaged 95 and managed the high checkout of 121, must now defeat Williams to stand a chance of progression.

Williams of the BDO scored well with an average of 92 against Josh Payne but struggles on his doubles cost him dearly in a 5-2 defeat.

The Welshman hit four 180s but missed six of his eight leg darts against the PDC youngster, who faces Wright in his final game.

Two-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant's bid to reach the knockout stages for the third year in a row suffered a setback as he lost out in a last-leg decider against Gerwyn Price.

The Welshman was on fire as he nailed seven 180s, averaged 102 and hit five of his nine darts at a double to make it two wins out of two in Group F.

Durrant's final group game comes against Andrew Gilding, who is still pointless following defeat to Price's next opponent Simon Whitlock.

The Aussie bounced back from his heavy defeat to Duzza by claiming a 5-2 victory in which he averaged 94 and managed a high checkout of 116.

Former BDO world champion Scott Mitchell produced one of best performances of the day as he crushed Martin Schindler 5-1 in Group G with the help of a stunning average of 104, which wasn't helped him his seven missed darts at doubles.

Scotty Dog blew the German youngster away, with the World Youth Championship finalist missing four of his five attempts to win a leg and he now needs a minor darting miracle to progress.

Schindler, who faces van den Bergh later this month for World Youth glory, will play Mensur Suljovic on Monday night although the Austrian goes into it on the back of a 5-3 defeat to the impressive Stephen Bunting.

Suljovic averaged 102, hit a match high 121 checkout and only missed two attempts at doubles but his opponent was ruthless with his scoring, averaging 104 and hitting 50% of his doubles.

Grand Slam of Darts: Group Tables, Results & Schedule

Group A

  1. Jonny Clayton P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +4 Pts 4
  2. (1) Michael van Gerwen P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff +3 Pts 2
  3. Gary Robson P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -3 Pts 2
  4. Joe Murnan P 2 W 0 L 2 LegDiff -4 Pts 0

Group B

  1. (8) Michael Smith P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +3 Pts 4
  2. Krzysztof Ratajski P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff +1 Pts 2
  3. Raymond van Barneveld P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -1 Pts 2
  4. Adam Smith-Neale (BDO) P 2 W 0 L 2 LegDiff -3 Pts 0

Group C

  1. (5) James Wade P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +7 Pts 4
  2. Keegan Brown P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -1 Pts 2
  3. Wesley Harms (BDO) P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -3 Pts 2
  4. Mark Webster P 2 W 0 L 2 LegDiff -3 Pts 0

Group D

  1. (4) Gary Anderson P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +7 Pts 4
  2. Ian White P 2 W 0 L 0 LegDiff 0 Pts 2
  3. Michael Unterbuchner (BDO) P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff 0 Pts 2
  4. Steve Hine P 2 W 0 L 2 LegDiff -7 Pts 0

Group E

  1. (2) Peter Wright P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +4 Pts 4
  2. Josh Payne P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff +1 Pts 2
  3. Max Hopp P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -1 Pts 2
  4. Jim Williams (BDO) P 2 W 0 L 2 LegDiff -4 Pts 0

Group F

  1. Gerwyn Price P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +4 Pts 4
  2. Glen Durrant (BDO) P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff +3 Pts 2
  3. (7) Simon Whitlock P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -1 Pts 2
  4. Andrew Gilding P 2 W 0 L 2 LegDiff -6 Pts 0

Group G

  1. Stephen Bunting P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +4 Pts 4
  2. (6) Mensur Suljovic P 1 W 0 L 0 LegDiff +1 Pts 2
  3. Scott Mitchell (BDO) P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff +1 Pts 2
  4. Martin Schindler P 2 W 0 L 2 LegDiff -6 Pts 0

Group H

  1. (3) Rob Cross P 2 W 2 L 0 LegDiff +4 Pts 4
  2. Dimitri Van den Bergh P 2 W 0 L 1 LegDiff +1 Pts 2
  3. Mark McGeeney (BDO) P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -1 Pts 2
  4. Ryan Searle P 2 W 1 L 1 LegDiff -4 Pts 0

Scoring System: Each competitor plays each other once in a best-of-nine legs match, with two points going to the winner. The top two from each group will then progress to the knockout stages. Any two-way points tie in any position, the player with best leg difference will finish higher. If two players are still level then the winner of the match between them will progress. There is the potential for a Nine-Dart Shoot-Out should three or more players be tied for points and leg difference. For more details see the format section further down.

Grand Slam of Darts: Daily Schedule & Results

Sky Bet's darts odds

Saturday November 10
Afternoon Session (1pm)
Group Matches (Best of 9 legs)

  • Max Hopp 5-3 Josh Payne (E)
  • Gerwyn Price 5-2 Andrew Gilding (F)
  • Dimitri Van den Bergh 5-3 Ryan Searle (H)
  • Stephen Bunting 5-3 Martin Schindler (G)
  • Simon Whitlock 1-5 Glen Durrant (F)
  • Mensur Suljovic 5-2 Scott Mitchell (G)
  • Rob Cross 5-2 Mark McGeeney (H)
  • Peter Wright 5-4 Jim Williams (E)

Evening Session (8pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Group Matches (Best of 9 legs)

  • Keegan Brown 5-4 Mark Webster (C)
  • Jonny Clayton 5-2 Joe Murnan (A)
  • Ian White 5-1 Steve Hine (D)
  • Michael Smith 5-3 Adam Smith-Neale (B)
  • James Wade 5-0 Wesley Harms (C)
  • Raymond van Barneveld 3-5 Krzysztof Ratajski (B)
  • Gary Anderson 5-2 Michael Unterbuchner (D)
  • Michael van Gerwen 5-1 Gary Robson (A)

CLICK HERE FOR DAY ONE REVIEW & STATISTICS

Sunday November 11
Afternoon Session (1pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Group Matches (Best of 9 legs)

Groups E-H

  • Max Hopp 2-5 Peter Wright (E)
  • Josh Payne 5-2 Jim Williams (E)
  • Gerwyn Price 5-4 Glen Durrant (F)
  • Simon Whitlock 5-2 Andrew Gilding (F)
  • Stephen Bunting 5-3 Mensur Suljovic (G)
  • Martin Schindler 1-5 Scott Mitchell (G)
  • Rob Cross 5-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh (H)
  • Mark McGeeney 5-3 Ryan Searle (H)

Evening Session (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Group Matches (Best of 9 legs)

Groups A-D

  • Michael van Gerwen 4-5 Jonny Clayton (A)
  • Joe Murnan 4-5 Gary Robson (A)
  • Michael Smith 5-4 Krzysztof Ratajski (B)
  • Adam Smith-Neale 4-5 Raymond van Barneveld (B)
  • Wesley Harms 5-3 Mark Webster (C)
  • James Wade 5-3 Keegan Brown (C)
  • Michael Unterbuchner 5-2 Steve Hine (D)
  • Gary Anderson 5-1 Ian White (D)

Monday November 12 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Group Matches (Best of 9 legs)

Groups E-H (Order TBC)

  • Max Hopp v Jim Williams (E)
  • Josh Payne v Peter Wright (E)
  • Andrew Gilding v Glen Durrant (F)
  • Simon Whitlock v Gerwyn Price (F)
  • Martin Schindler v Mensur Suljovic (G)
  • Stephen Bunting v Scott Mitchell (G)
  • Mark McGeeney v Dimitri Van den Bergh (H)
  • Rob Cross v Ryan Searle (H)

Tuesday November 13 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Group Matches (Best of 9 legs)

Groups A-D (Order TBC)

  • Michael van Gerwen v Joe Murnan (A)
  • Jonny Clayton v Gary Robson (A)
  • Michael Smith v Raymond van Barneveld (B)
  • Adam Smith-Neale v Krzysztof Ratajski (B)
  • Wesley Harms v Keegan Brown (C)
  • James Wade v Mark Webster (C)
  • Gary Anderson v Steve Hine (D)
  • Michael Unterbuchner v Ian White (D)

Wednesday November 14 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Second Round (Best of 19 legs)

  • Four matches

Thursday November 15 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Second Round (Best of 19 legs)

  • Four matches

Friday November 16 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Quarter-finals (Best of 31 legs)

  • Two matches

Saturday November 17 (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Quarter-finals (Best of 31 legs)

  • Two matches

Sunday November 17
Afternoon Session (1pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Semi-finals (Best of 31 legs)

  • Two matches

Evening Session (7pm)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Final (Best of 31 legs)

  • Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

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