The countdown is on!
And the draw for the Grand Slam of Darts has thrown up some intriguing looking groups!
For instance, Phil Taylor’s bid to reclaim his Grand Slam crown will start against teenager James Hubbard on Sunday.
The 19-year-old is making his TV debut! Mervyn King is also in Taylor’s sights and the Unicorn star will also be after revenge, because Steve Beaton completes the line-up in Group E….remember Beaton knocked Taylor out of the event at the quarter-final stage last year!
Of course, James Wade will be desperate to set the record straight….remember 12 months ago, he was 8-0 up against Scott Waites in the final, before collapsing to a stunning defeat.
The World No.3 will be in action on the opening night on Saturday, when he faces a tough opener against Dave Chisnall….Fellow Team Unicorn ace Terry Jenkins – a former Grand Slam finalist – and the in-form Justin Pipe make up Group D.
Gary Anderson is the 5th seed at the GSOD and the Unicorn star will kick-off against qualifier Nigel Heydon on Saturday….also in the Scot’s group are Irishman Brendan Dolan and local lad Wayne Jones, who won the last four legs to beat Anderson in last year’s quarter-finals.
Raymond van Barneveld is seeded 8th and he will also be in action on the opening night….Barney’s first match is against Stoke qualifier Ian White, who has got into the tournament as ‘first reserve’ because Australian Simon Whitlock was forced to withdraw with a broken ankle….BDO stars Dean Winstanley and Ted Hankey are also in Barneveld’s group.
Wes Newton goes into the Grand Slam as the No.7 seed and although he starts his bid against Sweden’s Magnus Caris, he will also face a big Team Unicorn showdown against Paul Nicholson, while Barrie Bates makes up Group F.
Unicorn youngster Arron Monk gets a second crack at the Grand Slam and is in a tough group with Mark Webster, John Part and Dutchman Jan Dekker.
The draw in full:
Group A:
Scott Waites (1)
Mark Walsh
Tony O’Shea
Michael van Gerwen
Group B:
Raymond van Barneveld (8)
Dean Winstanley
Ted Hankey
Ian White
Group C:
Gary Anderson (5)
Wayne Jones
Brendan Dolan
Nigel Heydon
Group D:
James Wade (4)
Terry Jenkins
Justin Pipe
Dave Chisnall
Group E:
Phil Taylor (2)
Mervyn King
Steve Beaton
James Hubbard
Group F:
Wes Newton (7)
Paul Nicholson
Barrie Bates
Magnus Caris
Group G:
Mark Webster (6)
Jan Dekker
John Part
Arron Monk
Group H:
Adrian Lewis (3)
Vincent van der Voort
Co Stompe
Martin Phillips
Groups A-D will kick-off the tournament on Saturday night, while Groups E-H will take to the stage at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall for their first taste of action on Sunday afternoon.
By STUART PYKE
Photo courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC