Grand Slam of Darts 2022 | Day Five Preview and Order of Play
The knock-out phase of the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts gets under way in Wolverhampton on Wednesday with four blockbuster Second Round ties.
The Group Stage saw a number of star names suffer early exits at the Aldersley Leisure Village, but a host of heavy hitters remain in contention for the Eric Bristow Trophy.
The knock-out phase features a significant increase of format as the respective group winners and runners-up go head-to-head for a place in the Quarter-Finals.
The opening tie of the evening sees 2012 Grand Slam champion Raymond van Barneveld take on reigning World Cup winner Simon Whitlock.
Van Barneveld is appearing in the knock-out stages for the first time since 2017, after rolling back the years to finish top of Group A with maximum points.
The Dutch icon, who came through last week’s Tour Card holder qualifier to seal his place in the event, has a tournament average of 95.5 and will be determined to maintain his resurgent form over the longer format.
Whitlock, meanwhile, is defending Semi-Final prize money from two years ago against his ranking, and victory here would see him regain a place in the world’s top 32.
The Aussie ace finished second in Group B with four points and boasts an impressive tournament average of 98.5, as well as eleven 180s.
Two Grand Slam specialists then face off as two-time semi-finalist Michael Smith takes on two-time quarter-finalist Rob Cross.
Smith has now won an incredible 16 consecutive group matches in the Grand Slam and finished top of the table for the seventh time, dropping just five legs along the way.
Runner-up in this year’s World Championship, UK Open and European Championship, ‘Bully Boy’ will be determined to break new ground this week and deny his former World Cup team-mate.
Cross maintained his 100 per cent knock-out qualification record in his sixth consecutive appearance, surviving a major scare against Martin Schindler in their decisive fixture before sealing a 5-4 victory.
The 2018 World Champion is now eyeing a place in a first televised ranking Quarter-Final of 2022 following a series of disappointing early exits.
Gerwyn Price looks to take another step towards a fourth consecutive Grand Slam title at this venue when he faces reigning UK Open champion Danny Noppert.
It was far from plain sailing for the Welshman in Group A, however, as he survived two missed match darts from Dave Chisnall in their straight shoot-out for second spot before snatching victory with a 103 average.
Price landed a nine-dart finish and 13 maximums in his most recent meeting with Noppert in the Semi-Finals of July’s World Matchplay, and will be keen to replicate that blistering display.
Noppert scooped the group winner’s bonus in Group B after three consecutive wins to move into the Last 16 for the first time since his debut in 2016.
He is provisionally set to climb into the world’s top eight after this tournament and will be eyeing a dose of revenge on ‘The Ice Man’ following their Matchplay epic.
The final match of the night sees Masters champion Joe Cullen come up against World Series Finals runner-up Dirk van Duijvenbode in a clash of two power scorers.
Cullen reeled off four consecutive legs from 3-1 down to defeat Lisa Ashton and secure second spot in Group C, and is now targeting a first Grand Slam Quarter-Final in this third appearance and what would be a first televised ranking Quarter-Final of the year.
Van Duijvenbode finds himself in the knock-out phase for the first time after storming to top spot in Group D with six points, and has reproduced the form which led him to the Semi-Finals of last month’s European Championship.
A winner of two Players Championship events this season, the lively Dutchman has also finished runner-up in the Dutch Masters and continues to be one of the most prolific 180 hitters in the sport.
The action gets under way from 7pm GMT, with Last 16 matches to be contested over the best of 19 legs.
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Grand Slam of Darts 2022 Day Five Schedule
Wednesday November 16
Second Round
7.15pm Raymond van Barneveld v Simon Whitlock
8.15pm Michael Smith v Rob Cross
9.15pm Danny Noppert v Gerwyn Price
10.15pm Dirk van Duijvenbode v Joe Cullen
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