Darts results: Peter Wright thrashes Rob Cross at Grand Slam of Darts as Glen Durrant wins thriller

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Cross poisoned by Snakebite

Peter Wright stormed into the Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals with surprising ease as he thrashed an out of sorts Rob Cross 10-3 in Wolverhampton.

The mouthwatering showdown between the pair was seemingly building into the classic that fans were expecting after five high quality legs, only for Snakebite to win seven of the next eight without needing to be near his brilliant best.

Wright started like a train with legs of 14, 11 and 13 darts for a 3-1 lead only for Voltage to complete a fine 12-darter of his own with a 96 checkout.

But that's as good as it got for this year's World Matchplay and European champion as he struggled to get anywhere near his usual standards as the recent Champions League runner-up won six legs on the bounce before going on to seal a 10-3 triumph.

Wright, who was tipped on these pages at 12/1 pre-tournament, averaged 98.59 compared to Cross' 89.06 despite hitting one fewer maximum with two, while the main difference between the pair was their finishing.

The World Cup winner pinned 10 of his 22 darts at doubles as the 2018 world champion spurned nine of his 12 to make his opponent's life far too easy at this level.

Next up for Wright is a quarter-final with Dave Chisnall, who crushed Ryan Harrington by the same scoreline at the start of the night (more details below).

Duzza leaves it late...very late

Glen Durrant was never ahead in his absorbing clash with Gabriel Clemens until he pinned the winning double to reach the Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals.

The three-time Lakeside king, representing the BDO in this tournament, showed tremendous battling spirit to come back from 3-0 and 7-4 down against the impressive German but he also had to survive a match dart in the 18th leg before edging a decider in 14 darts, with Clemens waiting on tops.

It's the latest dramatic moment of an incredible debut season in the PDC and this will be his third appearance at this stage of a televised major having gone as far as the semis of the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix.

Duzza has of course reached the last eight in Wolverhampton before when Peter Wright defeated him two years ago, but having taken the PDC stages by storm in 2019, he'll fancy his chances of going all the way.

The Teessider averaged 96.47 compared to his opponent's 98.34 - as well as throwing one fewer maximum with three - while his checkout percentage of 50% was also inferior to Clemens' 56.25.

But Durrant, who pulled himself level at 3-3 with checkouts of 107 and 87 before another mini comeback restored parity at 7-7 thanks to finishes of 107 and 80, kept his cool when it mattered most to end the German's dream debut in which he'd topped his group.

The 48-year-old told www.pdc.tv: "It's a super win. It was a huge game and very emotional, and it's a fantastic win for me.

"I was never in front until the last dart but I've got real fight, determination and bottle and I'm a great match player. I'm not the biggest scorer but I fight and I'm delighted to win.

"I'm not starting as quickly as I'd like to so maybe I have to look at that, but I found something inside me and I knew when it got to nine legs each that I could take my chance."

Bully Boy next for Duzza

Michael Smith set up a potentially fiery quarter-final with Glen Durrant as he came through a high-class showdown with Daryl Gurney in Wolverhampton.

The pair, who met during the group stages, have been embroiled in a polite war of words this past week over Duzza's qualification for this event as a BDO player, with both also reaffirming their overall admiration of each other.

Smith comfortably won the round-robin encounter 5-3 on Saturday - as well as their World Matchplay semi-final in Blackpool this summer when their rivalry started to spill into the interview rooms - and he'll be favourite to do so again on Friday based on this performance.

Bully Boy made a sluggish start against Gurney but ended up with a 101.56 average that was helped by four maximums and two ton plus checkouts while he also pinned 50% of his doubles.

The St Helens man trailed 3-1 but a pair of 11 darters in the next four legs, including one that was completed with a 100 checkout, levelled matters at 4-4 before a finish from 110 two legs later put him 6-4 ahead.

Gurney, who averaged 100.49, hit five maximums but spurned 11 double attempts, battled back from 8-5 down to trail 8-7 but his resistance would prove to be in vain as Smith closed out the win, with a 13-darter to seal the deal.

Smith is into the last eight of the Grand Slam for the first time since 2015 as he continues to chase his maiden major title.

Is this finally Chizzy's week?

Dave Chisnall reached his 26th major quarter-final in the PDC in style as he thrashed debutant Ryan Harrington 10-3 with a 102 average.

The margin of victory won't be of great surprise to anyone given Chizzy's resurgent form this season in which he's won three tournament and reached the World Grand Prix final, while Harrington was very much a surprise qualifier for this tournament, let alone the last 16.

The St Helens man, who comfortably topped a group with Rob Cross and Jamie Hughes, is playing with a new-found confidence and if he can maintain this kind of momentum then a sixth major final could well be on the cards.

He's lost the previous five - all against either Michael van Gerwen or Phil Taylor - so he'll just be hoping somebody else can get rid of the world champion in the opposite half of the draw.

Chisnall threw three 180s - two more than his opponent - and pinned almost 50% of his doubles in a dominant display over Harrington and even threatened a whitewash when finishing from 104 to move 4-0 up.

However, the son of the legendary Rod Harrington got off the mark with a show-stopping 154 checkout and went on to pick up two other consolation legs.

The 39-year-old, who was runner-up in Wolverhampton back in 2014 when losing 16-13 to Taylor, said: "I'm happy to be through. I'm playing okay and I hit some good shots - it could have been closer but that's the game.

"Luckily for me I'm starting to play well again and hitting my doubles, and I can look forward to Friday now."

Harrington, ranked 95 in the world before coming through the final qualifier last Monday, can head home with belief that he can make significant climb up the rankings.

Wednesday results & Thursday schedule

Wednesday November 13 (7pm)
Second Round (Best of 19 legs)

• Dave Chisnall 10-3 Ryan Harrington
• Gabriel Clemens 9-10 Glen Durrant
• Michael Smith 10-7 Daryl Gurney
• Peter Wright 10-3 Rob Cross

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

• Michael van Gerwen v Ian White
• James Wade v Adrian Lewis
• Gerwyn Price v Darren Webster
• Gary Anderson v Robert Thornton

CLICK HERE FOR FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND GROUP TABLES

Related darts links

• 2020 Premier League venues & dates
• 2019 PDC event calendar & results
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