The Grand Slam of Darts continues in Wolverhampton on Monday night, as players in Groups E-H battle it out for qualification to the last 16.
World champion Rob Cross is the only player featuring on Monday night that is assured of qualification to the last 16, but Peter Wright, Mensur Suljovic, Gerwyn Price, Glen Durrant and Simon Whitlock will be among the names bidding to join ‘Voltage’ in the knockout stages.
Group E
Group E
Peter Wright is in command of Group E after following up his deciding-leg win over Jim Williams with a comfortable victory over former World Youth champion Max Hopp on Sunday afternoon.
The Scot faces Josh Payne in his final group game, knowing that four legs will be enough to mathematically secure his progression to the last 16.
Payne is up to second place after his comfortable win over Jim Williams, who must beat Max Hopp by at least two legs whilst hoping that Wright beats Payne convincingly.
Victory for Hopp over BDO star Williams will be enough to seal his place in the last 16, if Wright were to defeat Payne.
Group F
Group F
Gerwyn Price is currently in control of Group F after registering victories over Andrew Gilding and Glen Durrant.
‘The Iceman’ takes on fellow Premier League star Simon Whitlock on Monday evening, knowing that three legs will be enough to see him finish ahead of ‘The Wizard’.
Durrant was edged out by Price in a thriller on Sunday afternoon, in a contest containing ten maximums. The BDO world champion now meets Andrew Gilding, knowing that victory will guarantee his place in the last 16.
‘Goldfinger’ can still mathematically qualify for the last 16, but he’d have to defeat ‘Duzza’ 5-0 whilst also relying on Price beating Whitlock.
Group G
Group G
Stephen Bunting tops Group G after producing a sublime display to defeat sixth seed Mensur Suljovic in a high-quality Group G clash.
Bunting defeated Martin Schindler 5-3 in his opener and claimed the scalp of Suljovic by the same scoreline, producing his highest televised average of 104.36 en route to victory.
Suljovic and Scott Mitchell are locked on points and legs difference going into their final group games. Suljovic defeated Mitchell 5-2 on Saturday, but ‘Scotty Dog’ kept his hopes alive with an impressive 5-1 win over Schindler.
It would take an extraordinary twist of fate for Schindler to qualify and he takes on Suljovic in his final group game, whilst Bunting and Mitchell collide in a battle of the former Lakeside world champions.
Group H
Group H
Rob Cross is the only man from Monday’s line-up assured of his qualification to the last 16.
The world champion battled past Mark McGeeney in a scrappy opener, before surviving one match dart against Dimitri van den Bergh to prevail in a nine-leg thriller on Sunday.
McGeeney and Van den Bergh now face a straight shootout for qualification from Group G, whilst Cross takes on Ryan Searle, who remains winless and is simply playing for pride against ‘Voltage’.
Monday’s Order of Play
Monday’s Order of Play
Cross will be hoping to maintain his 100 per cent record at this year’s event as he opens up the evening’s proceedings against debutant Searle, before Glen Durrant and Andrew Gilding collide in Group F.
Premier League stars Price and Whitlock then clash in a potentially decisive tussle, before Suljovic meets Schindler- with ‘The Gentle’ assured of qualification if he defeats the diminutive German by a 5-3 scoreline or better.
Then it’s a battle of the former Lakeside world champions as Bunting locks horns with Mitchell, before Hopp continues his bid for qualification against BDO number three Williams.
Last year’s finalist Wright then meets Josh Payne, with qualification possibly up for grabs dependent on the outcome of the other Group E tussle.
The evening then concludes with a clash between reigning World Youth champion Van den Bergh and BDO number two McGeeney, in a straight shoot-out for qualification.
The Grand Slam of Darts continues on Sky Sports across the week with coverage of Monday’s evening session on Sky Sports Action from 7pm.
Keep up to date with the news as the tungsten enters its busiest time of year with the PDC World Championships just around the corner. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts.
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