The Grand Slam of Darts group stage ends tonight, and at the start of play only one player has qualified to the last 16 from the top half.
The most confusing group kicks things off as Group D has nobody qualified nor nobody eliminated. This year's Lakeside runner-up Danny Noppert must win big over 2008 BDO World champion Mark Webster and hope Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney crushes Norfolk manlet Darren Webster to even stand a chance of progressing. Likewise, a huge victory for little Webster combined with a big one for the wobbly Webster could see Superchin sent back across the Irish Sea.
Group A is relatively more simple as following Michael van Gerwen's thumping of Joe Murnan, Rob Cross will aim to validate his recent TV performances by sending a surprisingly impressive Ross Montgomery back to Scotland in a straight shootout for the last 16. "The Boss" played very well against Murnan, but you just feel Voltage has an extra gear.
Group C is tragic if you're James Wade. As Robbie Green is up against the mediocre Aussie Peter Machin, the Machine will need to beat Phil Taylor by a big margin if last year's runner-up is to avoid an drastically early exit. Given how Pheel fluked his win against Kong, you just feel a similar thing will happen tonight.
Ending the round-robin phase is Group B; roaring Welsh rugger roidlet Gerwyn Price and Ireland's Steve Lennon will have to better each other's results to qualify, and with Price playing Black Country bumpkin Jamie Hughes and Lennon against Raymond van Barneveld, it's clear the young Irishman has the harder task.
Coverage starts from 7:00pm UK time on Sky Sports Action.
All group stage games are the best of 9 legs (first to 5).
>Tonight's matches Mark Webster v Danny Noppert (D) Daryl Gurney v Darren Webster (D) Michael van Gerwen v Joe Murnan (A) Rob Cross v Ross Montgomery (A) Robbie Green v Peter Machin (C) Phil Taylor v James Wade (C) Gerwyn Price v Jamie Hughes (B) Raymond van Barneveld v Steve Lennon (B)
Blake Butler
This is one of the most powerful darting images ever, by the way.
Read a lot of stuff online where people are saying Berry van Peer's faking his dartitis.
This whole incident has really shown those people up.
Jaxson Moore
>This is one of the most powerful darting images ever, by the way. In this case, yes, this was genuine, those guys are young, don't have a lot of big tournament experience, and then there was the dartitis thing. But overall I think people should cut back a little on those emotional stage displays. Clown and Gurney are the main culprits here. They are starting to become annoying drama queens.
Xavier Wilson
Those two really need to get a grip.
Cameron Wright
I hope whitlock gets a massive fine from the DRA and even a 6 month ban would not go amiss. Making fun of someones mental issues is disgraceful in todays age. Disgusting.
Noah Cook
At the very least I hope he's apologised.
Tyler Price
I checked his twitter. Nothing.
Jacob Watson
Checked his twitter yesterday, no sign of an apology, in fact no new messages from this week. Probably busy getting pissed.
Luis Rivera
>darts >on Sup Forums instead of /asp/ or /tg/ wew
Jaxon Smith
Yeah, I've seen that too.
For someone who has played darts longer than BvP has been alive, I'm shocked he didn't realise something was up with him.
But then again Whitlock has never been the most mentally stable.
John Cox
Hey, it's /asp/eru on vacation!
Jaxon Bailey
And we're on now.
Aiden Richardson
Does anybody actually like Wayne Mardell?
Joshua Russell
"Like" doesn't reallys describe it, but I have no problem with him.
David Richardson
Hoping Noppie has a decent game here regardless of the result.
Ayden Butler
83 meme finish from Noppie
Christopher Perry
>Floppie
Thomas Brooks
>Wobblester Fucked that one away.
Great for Noppie to win though.
Austin Phillips
Based Noppie. Sad that he is already out.
Owen Howard
>le angry manlet
Colton Anderson
MANLET RAGE
Chase Ramirez
>9 dart shootout between Manlet and Wobbly Should be fun.
Ian Brown
Would a straight up sudden death leg of 501 be better than a shootout?
Hunter Ramirez
Don't think so, because the guy with the throw would hold a big advantage.
Gavin Martinez
>dropping a leg to Joe Murnan [autism rage]
Aiden Campbell
THAT BULL START 135
Grayson Brown
>dropping two legs to Joe Murnan
Kevin Hughes
>slipping inside D9 with MVG on D8 >shiggy
Aiden Harris
>MVG looked rubbish >108 average
Carter Bell
>108 average again Scary how effortless that was
Cameron Sullivan
>yfw Cross loses to Wartless
Eli Rivera
THAT 125 JUSTIN ABSOLUTELY SEEEETHING
Lincoln Gutierrez
>Rob Cross
Connor Johnson
Cross had a case of Monty's Lakesideitis on that leg.
Samuel Miller
Cross should be leading 4-0.
Aaron Young
>Dross "First Round Loss" Montgomery now in final-set-at-Lakeside mode
Chase Hill
THAT BACKWARDS 164!
>Monty: 87.43 average Back to normality for him.
Adam Gomez
DAT 164
Leo Gutierrez
Cross went HAM all of a sudden.
Kayden Lopez
Has Cross been taking some of Peter Wright's pre-interview spray
Jackson Wright
Christ Rob Cross had the most homosexual laugh I've ever hears
Jose Campbell
My thoughts exactly.
Kek.
Matthew Cruz
>Robbie Green v Peter Machin >preceded by yet another Feel montage
William Gutierrez
Is Peter Machin the BDO equivalent of Dolel?
>slow pace >doesn't average above 90 >only known for one thing
Hudson Ward
This is dire to watch
Leo Smith
Kong is still haunted by choking like fuck to Taylor.
Machin is just completely out of his depth.
Aaron Cox
>losing to Peter Machin >King Bong Appalling game.
Cooper Brooks
>Both averages below 80 That must be the worst PDC game I ever saw outside of some worlds prelims
Andrew Howard
IT
IS
TIME
HE
IS
HERE
Camden Thomas
Already a chant.
James Nelson
Absolutely no way that Wade is going to win this unless he seriously improves his scoring.
Isaiah Torres
What's the point of starting 66 on bull? Why aim for the smallest target when you can do 10's or 14's?
Jace Hill
You hit bull, you leave 16.
Only the most confident do it otherwise you'll see them going T10.
Grayson Harris
>pheel
Xavier Rivera
I hate this crowd.
Jonathan Davis
Is Pheel throwing the last game of the group stage again?
Carson Turner
I know it leaves D8, but I don't see why you'd start on the smallest target. I know Priestly used to do it, and Phil often does now.
Brayden Collins
>throws 30 >camera cuts to a sign with 'taylor legend' on it.
Kek
Chase Thomas
All about how confident you are.
>these Group C matches Fucking dire.
Angel Torres
I think most of them probably hit bull more often then T10 because they practice more on it.
Julian Wood
>24 >multiple major winner James Wade
Camden Williams
The DRA are going to be all over this match.
Matthew Lewis
Thank fuck Taylel threw that game.
We did not need to see Robbie Green get raped by Gurney.
Michael Edwards
Do you think Pheel had money on that game somewhere?
Connor Smith
He didn't want Kong to get through.
Benjamin Foster
Why? Does he like Wade more?
Nolan Hernandez
Probably.
The tournament needed it as well.
Charles Powell
>the Webster/Webster 9 dart shootout is to determine which one Feel bends over in the last 16
Daniel Morales
>struggling to beat Jamie Hughes >roidlet
Jeremiah Allen
>losing 5-1 to Hughes >Price
Liam Perez
>losing 5-1 to the dumbest man in the West Midlands and being eliminated from the tournament Spectacularly bad from Ice Ice Steroids.
Charles Brooks
Great montage
Andrew Sullivan
>you now remember the 2017 semi-final which was somehow even better
Jason Phillips
I dont really remember that as well, other than Barney didnt throw the towel in iirc. That third round match will linger for a long time.
Carter Bailey
>That third round match will linger for a long time. Oh of course.
Had Michael won it, it would have been nowhere near as memorable.
Juan Martin
>Irishman with an exploding dart
William Hernandez
>Barney throwing it so he can play Michael
Ayden Powell
Maybe not.
Lennon still very impressive despite tailing off.
Hunter James
>that T19 from Little Man That was brilliant.
Matthew Roberts
lol micro man with the treble 19 to win it
Grayson Price
Holy shit
Hudson Lewis
And that tight 9 dart shootout closes the group stage as the tournament's worst session is done.
Group D saw Danny Noppert come back to near his best as he defeated a wasteful Mark Webster. Webby got off to a quick start going 2-1 up with minimal fuss, but missed his next 6 at a finish as Noppie punished with a 42% finishing rate. This meant little Darren Webster had to win 2 legs against Daryl Gurney to progress, but failed: averaging 10 points less than his opponent, Demolition Manlet could only claim one to set up said shootout.
Group A was far simpler as both baldies advanced. Michael van Gerwen started slowly against Joe Murnan, managing to drop 2 legs but unbelievably averaged 108, including a bull start 135. Rob Cross on the other hand had to fight hard to beat Ross Montgomery; after The Boss survived 5 break darts, he took out 125 on tops and kept up for the next three legs before his opponent's superiority prevailed: a 106 average and a "backwards" 164 won it for Cross.
Group C ended in farce as Robbie Green somehow managed to get eliminated despite being 3 legs ahead of James Wade at the start of play. The reason for that was one of the worst games ever seen in the Slam as Kong's mind was still on his choke against Phil Taylor and along with Peter Machin averaged under 80 and lost 5-3. Pheel, safe in the knowledge he was going to be top with 3 legs, threw his match to gift Wadey a last 16 place.
Gerwyn Price blew a prime opportunity to make it to the last 16 as he crashed and burned against Jamie Hughes. Yozzer made up for his shambles against Steve Lennon with a 5-1 victory over the Ice Man who never looked comfortable. Lennon pushed Raymond van Barneveld hard but the old man's experience prevailed.
The 9 dart shootout saw Welsh Webster blunder by switching to 19s and only scoring 58, but when small Webster hit T1 with his 8th dart, T19 was his saviour as he progressed.
We return tomorrow with the first half of the second round. See you then.