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Rob Cross (Lawrence Lustig)
Rob Cross (Lawrence Lustig)

Grand Slam of Darts: Day six predictions, odds, betting tips, order of play & TV start time

Darts
Thu November 16, 2017 · 7y ago

The second round of the Grand Slam of Darts concludes in Wolverhampton tonight so here's the full order of play, predictions, Sky Bet odds and suggested accumulator.

The quarter-final line-up of the Grand Slam of Darts will be complete after tonight's four games, which feature Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross and Daryl Gurney.

Here, we have tonight's full running order, the Sky Bet odds, Chris Hammer's predicted scoreline for each game, his suggested bets and accumulator. You can also click here to look back at the group standings and full tournament schedule.

Grand Slam of Darts: Thursday November 15

Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets

TV Coverage: Sky Sports Action/Main Event (7pm)
Second Round (Best of 19 legs)

  • Daryl Gurney (2/5) v James Wade (2/1)
    Daryl Gurney stormed through to the last 16 as Group D winner and dropped just five legs across his three matches - thanks largely to his ruthless finishing in all of them. The World Grand Prix champion missed only eight attempts at doubles and therefore ended the group stage with a dazzling 66.67% checkout percentage (10% higher than any other player in the competition at the same stage) while his scoring averages were solidly between 96 and 99. Breaking his major duck in Dublin last month further fuelled his evident belief in his abilities on the big stage and there can be little doubt he'll be invited into the Premier League next year should he just miss out on fourth-spot in the PDC world rankings. I mention this because James Wade is in grave danger of heading out of that elite line-up unless he can do something special here or at the World Championship - and that's a motivation factor we can't ignore. He's leaving any charge very late having failed to do anything of note at the big events this year while he's not even reached a single final anywhere on the circuit. But what do we always say Wade's strength is? Timing. His form has steadily been returning which is why he was bitterly frustrated to lose his opening game 5-1 to Robbie Green but he bounced back to thrash Peter Machin before producing a stylish run of play to upset the already-qualified yet below-par Phil Taylor, finishing it off with an 11-darter. Afterwards he said: "I think my last three legs were good enough to beat most players under pressure and at moments the practice I've been doing started to show." There's seemingly a bit of value to be had for last year's runner-up.
    Prediction: 7-10
  • Phil Taylor (2/9) v Darren Webster (100/30)
    Apart from restoring some of James Wade's lost confidence, I'm not reading much into Phil Taylor's dismal showing on Tuesday night, in which he averaged under 85 and missed 11 darts at a double. The six-time champion had already qualified as group winner and considering his mental and physical fatigue issues that he keeps reminding us of, he was hardly going to be firing on all cylinders, despite it being only being best-of-nine legs. He was also complacent against Robbie Green, who missed two match darts, but you can expect him to be more switched on against Darren Webster, who lost two group games and is only here after hitting a dramatic treble 19 with his final throw of a Nine Dart Shoot-Out with his namesake Mark. It won't be a landslide as Taylor will be saving his absolute best for the later rounds while we can't forget Webster did beat him 5-0 in the group stages last year.
    Prediction: 10-6
  • Michael van Gerwen (1/33) v Steve Lennon (11/1)
    If these two play each other on a major televised stage in a couple of years, then everyone will be expecting Steve Lennon to run MVG close, such is the potential of the young Irishman. I backed him pre-tournament at 5/1 to progress through the groups as his long odds reflected how his talents remain largely unknown, but this is where his challenge ends. He averaged over 96 in all his games and played pretty well in both defeats to Raymond van Barneveld and Gerwyn Price, with his thumping 5-0 victory over Jamie Hughes proving decisive. There's nothing to say about MVG that's not been said everywhere else but it's worth baring in mind he came close to defeat to Rob Cross and did offer Ross Montgomery and Joe Murnan chances to at least make the respective 5-1 and 5-2 scorelines closer. So don't expect a total wipeout. Lennon managed a couple of 100 checkouts against Barney and we've already seen van Gerwen in the 130+ region twice so I'm going to delve into specials for my best bet (see bets section below)
    Prediction: 10-5
  • Raymond van Barneveld (11/8) v Rob Cross (4/7)
    Barney is still available at 40/1 to go all the way such is his tough probable route to the final (Cross, MVG, Taylor, Wright/Anderson) but while his backers will say his inspired A-game can beat anyone, I don't feel he's able to produce it four times in a row from this point. I'd much rather take a stab on the 22/1 for Cross, who's rising star is continuing to shine here in Wolverhampton as he more than lives up to the hype. Voltage is routinely - and comfortably - averaging over 100 on the PDC circuit and his 105.76 in a 5-2 victory over Ross Montgomery, in which he hit a 164 checkout, would have been far higher had he not missed nine darts at doubles. His 164 wasn't even his highest of the tournament having hit the big finish of 170 in that thrilling 5-4 defeat to MVG, where he led 4-3 and missed a match dart, so it's fair to say he pretty much has everything apart from a wealth of experience on the TV stage. But at this rate, he'll enjoy plenty of that in the coming 12 months and beyond, especially if/when he gets a Premier League invite. It's amazing this is still his debut season but the more we see, the more I believe his first big title is going to come a lot quicker than he would have even thought possible. I really hope he gets another bash at MVG in the quarters.
    Prediction: 6-10

Thursday's suggested darts bets

Thursday's darts accumulator

Related darts links