Grand Slam of Darts 2021 Day One | Afternoon Session preview and order of play

The 2021 Grand Slam of Darts gets under way in Wolverhampton on Saturday afternoon with the opening fixtures from Groups A-D.

The field for this year’s event is comprised of PDC tournament winners and finalists from the last 12 months, as well as various Order of Merit winners and Tour Card holder, Development Tour and Challenge Tour qualifiers.

The players are initially split into eight groups, with the top two players from each group following the round-robin phase progressing to the knock-out stages.

Part One of a packed opening day at the Aldersley Leisure Village features a host of decorated darters in action, all hoping to hit the ground running by picking up two points at the first time of asking.

World number one Gerwyn Price kicks off his quest for a third Grand Slam title since 2018 with a tie against young debutant Nathan Rafferty.

Price is one of only three multiple winners of this prestigious event and has reached at least the Quarter-Final stage of every major ranking tournament so far this season.

Rafferty, 21, is making his first appearance in a televised event outside of the UK Open, having finished top of this year’s UK Development Tour Order of Merit.

The Northern Irish star famously defeated Peter Wright at the 2018 UK Open and has four Development Tour titles to his name.

Elsewhere in Group A, top 16 star Krzysztof Ratajski takes on German ace Martin Schindler.

World Matchplay semi-finalist Ratajski heads into the event in fine fettle, having won the last Players Championship event of the year little over a week ago.

Schindler, who also came through the Tour Card Holder qualifier, is making his third Grand Slam appearance as he bids to reach the knock-out phase for the first time.

Group C kicks off with a show-down between UK Open champion James Wade and former BDO world finalist Jim Williams.

Wade is a three-time Grand Slam finalist since 2010 and will be determined to make it fourth time lucky and add the Eric Bristow trophy to his collection.

Williams qualified courtesy of finishing top of this year’s UK Challenge Tour Order of Merit, ensuring his place on the PDC circuit for the next two seasons, as well as a debut appearance at Alexandra Palace.

Reigning European Champion Rob Cross begins his Group C campaign against Croatian debutant Boris Krcmar.

Cross maintained his place in the elite top 16 courtesy of his sensational success in Salzburg last month, securing a fourth major title to return to winning ways after a barren spell of form by his standards.

Rob Cross celebrates (Photo by Kais Bodensieck/PDC Europe)

Cross reached the Quarter-Finals on his Grand Slam debut in 2017 but has suffered three consecutive Second Round exits since.

Krcmar clinched his place in the event as one of the eight Tour Card Holder qualifiers, becoming the first Croatian to appear in the Grand Slam, and has beaten the likes of Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price on the ProTour this year.

The opening match of the tournament sees Stephen Bunting and Ryan Joyce go head-to-head in Group D.

Bunting reached the Last Eight on his Grand Slam debut in 2014 and enjoyed a superb run to the Semi-Finals of the recent World Grand Prix, having also won a Players Championship event this season.

Joyce progressed through the Tour Card Holder qualifier for the second year running and is out to improve on last year’s third place finish in the group behind Price and Jonny Clayton.

Chris Dobey, who was called up as a late replacement for Dimitri van den Bergh – who tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, aims to seize his unexpected opportunity.

Winner of two Players Championship events this year, Dobey’s first test comes against resurgent Austrian Rowby-John Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, 27, partnered Mensur Suljovic in reaching the final of the World Cup of Darts and also finished third in the European Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

Jonny Clayton launches his quest for an incredible fifth televised title of the season with a Group B show-down against Rusty-Jake Rodriguez.

Clayton has already bagged the Masters, Premier League, World Grand Prix and World Series Finals in a remarkable 2021 and will feel he still has unfinished business with three major events left to compete in.

Rusty-Jake joins his brother Rowby-John in the event for the first time after storming to the top of the European Development Tour Order of Merit this year with five titles under his belt, having also qualified for the World Championship via the ProTour Order of Merit.

Group B also plays host to a contest between Grand Slam stalwart Mervyn King and World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks.

King was an ever-present in this event between 2007 and 2015 but is ending a six-year hiatus after finishing runner-up at The Masters in January.

Brooks, meanwhile, is making his debut after joining the illustrious list of PDC World Youth Champions last November and also finishing top of the UK Development Tour Order of Merit.

The action gets under way from 1pm GMT, with group matches to be contested over the best of nine legs.

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

Grand Slam of Darts 2021 Day One Schedule of Play

Saturday November 13

Afternoon Session

Group Matches
1.15pm Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce (D)
1.45pm Krzysztof Ratajski v Martin Schindler (A)
2.15pm Mervyn King v Bradley Brooks (B)
2.45pm James Wade v Jim Williams (C)
3.15pm Rob Cross v Boris Krcmar (C)
3.45pm Jonny Clayton v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (B)
4.15pm Gerwyn Price v Nathan Rafferty (A)
4.45pm Chris Dobey v Rowby-John Rodriguez (D)