Sporting Life
Glen Durrant makes a winning start at the Grand Slam of Darts (Picture: Chris Dean/PDC)
Glen Durrant makes a winning start at the Grand Slam of Darts (Picture: Chris Dean/PDC)

Grand Slam of Darts results: BDO's Glen Durrant off to a flyer as MVG, Gary Anderson & James Wade also win

By Chris Hammer
Darts
Sat November 10, 2018 · 6y ago

Two-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant made a winning start to his Grand Slam of Darts campaign while MVG averaged 113 in his opening victory.

Scroll down to the bottom for results & updated standings

Evening round-up

Michael van Gerwen averaged 113 as he blew away Gary Robson of the BDO 5-1 in his opening Group A clash at the Grand Slam of Darts.

The world number one is bidding to win this tournament, which features 24 PDC players and eight from the BDO, for the fourth year in a row while he's also looking to silence the doubters who have circled following his recent eixts at the European Championship and World Series of Darts Finals.

MVG started well enough, throwing six 180s in just six legs while he only allowed his opponent two darts at a double.

Earlier in the same group, Jonny Clayton put a disappointing run of recent form behind him with a 5-2 victory over Joe Murnan.

Raymond van Barneveld's title hopes are already on thin ice after suffering a 5-3 defeat to the in-form Krzysztof Ratajski in their Group B opener.

The Polish star, who won the BDO's World Masters in 2017, recently completed an impressive Players Championship double last month, collecting back-to-back honours on the Saturday and Sunday to make it three PDC titles overall in 2018.

Many have earmarked him as a potential dark horse to go far in Wolverhampton this week and he certainly made an impressive start with a clinical display on his doubles, making five of his nine attempts as Barney struggled despite his slightly higher average of 92 (Ratajski managed 90).

Also in Group B, Michael Smith defeated Adam Smith-Neale of the BDO 5-3 although the scoreline would have been far greater had Bully Boy not made such a hash of his finishing.

The St Helens thrower was leading 4-0 but missed 15 match darts over the next three legs before finally getting the job done with his 16th.

Man of the moment James Wade maintained his superb run of form with a thumping 5-0 victory over the BDO's Wesley Harms to take an early grip on Group C

The Machine, who followed up his first TV title in almost five years at the European Championship with another seven days later at the World Series of Darts Finals, averaged 99 compared to his opponent's 85 while he also threw four maximums and hit 45% of his doubles.

Also in the same group, Keegan Brown edged a last-leg decider to beat Mark Webster 5-4, with the highlight of the match being Needle's superb 153 checkout.

Gary Anderson began his quest to win this title for the first time in his career with a 5-2 victory over the BDO's Michael Unterbuchner in Group D.

It wasn't the Flying Scotsman's finest performance as he averaged 91 and missed eight darts at doubles but it was enough for maximum points.

He trails Ian White on leg difference after Diamond thrashed Steve Hine 5-1 with the help of a stunning average of 105 and over 55% checkout percentage.

Afternoon round-up

Two-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant made a winning start to his Grand Slam of Darts campaign by defeating Simon Whitlock 5-1 in his opening group game on Saturday.

The 47-year-old Teesider is bidding to reach the knockout stages for the third year in the trot having lost to Peter Wright in last year's quarter-finals and could hardly have looked more comfortable in the Sky Sports-televised major, which features eight BDO players alongside 24 PDC stars.

Duzza averaged 99 and hit 45% of his doubles in a dominant display over Whitlock, who was recently runner-up at the European Championship, while the other game in Group F saw Gerwyn Price brush aside Andrew Gilding 5-2, with an average of 90.

Jim Williams, who lost an epic Lakeside quarter-final to Durrant back in January but has since won four titles on the BDO tour, gave Peter Wright a real scare before losing out 5-4 in Group E.

Snakebite could have won the match a leg earlier but missed five darts at a double immediately after a run of four treble 20s as Williams capitalised to force a decider.

That brought Wright's average down to 88 but he did throw four maximums and hit a 130 checkout in the fifth leg.

In the same group, rising star Max Hopp beat fellow youngster Josh Payne 5-3 in an entertaining clash that included a 123 checkout from the German.

World champion Rob Cross didn't have to be at his best in Group H to see off Lakeside runner-up Mark McGeeney 5-2 as Voltage averaged just 87 and missed seven of his 12 double attempts.

But he was let off the hook by his BDO opponent, who missed 20 darts at doubles in just seven legs.

In the same group, World Youth champion Dimitri van den Bergh, who defends his title later this month against Martin Schindler, looked impressive in a 5-3 victory over Ryan Searle, averaging 95.67 and weighing in with a fine 120 checkout.

Schindler, however, made a losing start as Stephen Bunting thrilled the crowd with a 170 checkout during his 5-3 victory in Group G.

Mensur Suljovic tops the group with a comfortable 5-2 victory over the BDO's Scott Mitchell, with the Austrian hitting five of his nine attempts at doubles in a clinical performance.

Grand Slam of Darts: Group Tables, Results & Schedule

Group A

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

Group B

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

Group C

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

Group D

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

Group E

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

Group F

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

Group G

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

Group H

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

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

Groups E-H (Order TBC)

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

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

Groups A-D (Order TBC)

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