Grand Slam of Darts 2021 Day Six preview and order of play | Sherrock aims to create more history

The Second Round action draws to a close at the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts on Thursday as Fallon Sherrock aims to continue her ground-breaking run.

Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, James Wade and Rob Cross were the first four players to progress to the Quarter-Finals at the Aldersley Leisure Village on Wednesday.

An unmissable Day Six in Wolverhampton sees a host of the sport’s household names collide as they bid to remain in contention for the Eric Bristow Trophy this weekend.

Sherrock has created headlines once again thanks to more historic exploits on the televised stage, becoming the first female to reach the knock-out phase of the Grand Slam.

Having lost to Peter Wright and beaten Mike De Decker, Sherrock then recovered from 3-1 down to secure the 5-3 win she required over Gabriel Clemens to progress to the Last 16, sealing the deal in sensational fashion with a 170 checkout.

The Nordic Masters runner-up now comes up against a familiar opponent in Mensur Suljovic – the man she beat to reach the Last 32 on her debut at Alexandra Palace two years ago.

That win over Suljovic sent shockwaves around the sporting world and paved the way for an exciting new chapter in women’s darts.

Suljovic will be eyeing a slice of revenge as he seeks to reach the Quarter-Finals of the Grand Slam for the third time in four appearances.

The Austrian ace finished top of Group F with four points, defeating Luke Humphries and Matt Campbell along the way to scooping the £3,500 bonus.

Another box office battle sees three-time Grand Slam champion Michael van Gerwen take on two-time finalist Gary Anderson.

Anderson and Van Gerwen collide (Photo by Lawrence Lustig/PDC)

Van Gerwen is out to reclaim this prestigious title for the first time since 2017, while Anderson is vying to capture one of the only major pieces of silverware missing from his collection.

Van Gerwen came into this event fresh from winning his first ranking title of the year at Super Series 8 and blitzed his way to the top of Group G with maximum points, defeating Lisa Ashton, Joe Cullen and John Henderson for the combined loss of just three legs.

The world number three, who set a new Grand Slam record average of 115.19 in his win over Cullen, now runs into a resurgent Anderson – who is targeting a first major Quarter-Final since last year’s World Championship.

Runner-up at the Wolves Civic in 2011 and 2018, Anderson maintained his incredible record of having reached the knock-out phase in every staging of the Grand Slam since 2007.

The two-time World Champion defeated Joe Davis before losing to Michael Smith, but clinched second spot in Group H thanks to a 5-2 success over Raymond van Barneveld with a 103.8 average.

The opening match of the night sees quick-fire stars Michael Smith and Joe Cullen go head-to-head.

The pair met in March’s UK Open, with Smith prevailing 10-9 in an epic battle with a 101.5 average and a 170 checkout along the way.

The 2019 world finalist is looking to reach a third consecutive Grand Slam Quarter-Final and a fifth in total since his debut in 2013.

Smith finished top of Group H with maximum points, while Cullen took second spot in Group G after two wins from a possible three.

Cullen, making only his second appearance in this event, was a semi-finalist in the recent European Championship and has established himself as one of the most prolific 180 hitters of late.

Two Premier League stars square off in another mouth-watering tie as defending champion Jose de Sousa faces two-time finalist Peter Wright.

World number two Wright has bounced back from successive First Round exits at the World Grand Prix and European Championship, but is yet to average above 97 so far this week and remains some way off the form which led him to World Matchplay glory in July.

De Sousa, who thrashed Wright 8-1 in this year’s Premier League, has continued his love affair with this competition – which he won on his debut in Coventry 12 months ago.

The Portuguese star was beaten 5-3 by Luke Humphries in his final group fixture but edged through on legs difference and will be eyeing a marked improvement on his tournament average of 92.5 if he is to keep his title defence on track.

The action gets under way from 7pm GMT, with Second Round matches to be contested over the best of 19 legs.

WATCH THE GRAND SLAM OF DARTS STREAMED LIVE HERE (18+)

Grand Slam of Darts 2021 Day Six Schedule of Play

Thursday November 18

Second Round

7.15pm Michael Smith v Joe Cullen
8.15pm Peter Wright v Jose de Sousa
9.15pm Mensur Suljovic v Fallon Sherrock
10.15pm Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson