Two Worlds Collide II – The Aftermath
Posted on November 24th, 2011
Two weeks ago I wrote how the Grand Slam was likely to see the boys from the BDO step under the bright lights of the PDC and show them what they are made of, and I believe they did just that, although it is somewhat up for debate.
On first glance at the fallout of what was a great tournament in Wolverhampton, the plain facts are that only PDC players reached the semi-final stage and Ted Hankey cut a solitary figure as the lone BDO man in the quarters. Furthermore, one round back and only Dean Winstanley and Martin Phillips were alongside Hankey in the last 16, meaning only three of the six that ventured in front of the Sky Sports cameras for the first time this year got beyond the group stage.
These are indisputable facts, but it is also a pretty harsh way to look at the BDO players’ performances. First of all, there were only six of them out of a field of 32, and Scott Waites was the only one of them to be seeded, so the odds were hardly in their favour from the off.
Also, although the likes of Waites, Hankey and Tony O’Shea have competed in this competition a few times before, the nature of the PDC tournaments is considerably different to the more serene BDO tournaments, and will take some getting used to for the likes of 21-year-old debutant Jan Dekker.
Although the glory that went with Waites winning the tournament last year wasn’t there for the BDO this time out, their performances and contribution to the Grand Slam will be something that they as an organisation can be extremely proud of. Hankey, until his exit, was the man that everyone was tuning in for, not just for his antics with the crowd, but because he was playing great darts in exciting matches, leading to talk of a Premier League invite.
Winstanley, although he went out in the second round, was one of only five men to win all three of his group games and in averaging 104.5 in round two, was extremely unlucky to crash out at that stage.
It was not just the performances though that were a treat for the sky viewers, the entertainment the BDO boys provided on the oche was first class, and the relationship with the PDC players also seemed to be incredibly good.
Rarely have I seen as many hugs during and after a match before Winstanley narrowly lost to Mark Walsh, and the respect between Phillips and Mark Webster in their second round tie was plain for all to see. It just makes you think that darts as a whole would be hugely better off if all these great players could play together more regularly.
Phil Haigh – twitter follow @philhaigh_
Photo – Lawrence Lustig
On demand highlights of this years Grand Slam can be viewed here.
Tags: BDO, Grand Slam of Darts, PDC Darts, Phil Haigh, Scott Waites, Ted Hankey
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Beat The Tipster GSoD Fantasy League Darts Results
Posted on November 21st, 2011
The 2011 William Hill Grand Slam of Darts lived up to expectations, providing great entertainment and high quality arrers. Taylor, the eventual winner was imperious, his averages were awesome and surely he is a dead cert for Alley Pally?
Did you beat the Tipster?
Well out of a couple of hundred entries only 15 entrants managed to beat our resident Tipster, who saw a return to form after a couple of slack events recently.
Those 15 were all entered into the hat for prizes, the draw was made this evening and we are pleased to list the winners below: (Full Prize Breakdown can be found here)
1st Prize – Martin Galea
2nd Prize – Andy Glen
3rd Prize – Troubleagain
Winners will be contacted in the net few days, to arrange delivery of their prizes. Thanks again to Bulls Darts & DartsCorner.co.uk for sponsoring our Beat The Tipster competition.
Tags: Fantasy League Darts, Grand Slam of Darts
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William Hill Grand Slam of Darts Last 16
Posted on November 18th, 2011
With the group stages determined last night and half the field eliminated from this years Grand Slam of Darts, our attention turns to the last 16 (Round 2). Following 5 days of races to 6, the last 16 offers the players the chance to slug it out over a few more legs, with the first man to notch up 10 to his name securing a place in the quarter final and a guaranteed £15k payday.
On paper the game of the night looked to be James Wade v Gary Anderson, notwithstanding The Flying Scotsman’s recent comments of course. However, surprisingly, or not? It was the two games featuring BDO v PDC that offered the closest scoreline, drama and overall entertainment.
Dean Winstanley (9) v (10) Mark Walsh
The only thing predictable in this clash was the winners surname would begin with W. Having no previous head to head form to go on, and nothing significantly separating their tournament stats.
Walsh took first blood, however the Yorkshireman quickly took the next 3 legs giving himself a 2 leg buffer with a 92 finish on the bull and sitting on a 107 average. Walsh though, with 83% checkout success including finishes of 138, 98, 60 and 82 regained the advantage at 5-3. The following two legs were shared meaning that Special Brew entered the break 6-4 ahead, despite Winstanley maintaining a 100+ average. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Dean Winstanley, Gary Anderson, Grand Slam of Darts, James Wade, Last 16, PDC Darts Results, Ted Hankey, Terry Jenkins, Wayne Jones
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William Hill Grand Slam of Darts Final Group Results
Posted on November 17th, 2011
PHIL TAYLOR saw off Mervyn King to progress to the second round of the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts on Wednesday night, with World Champions Adrian Lewis, John Part, Steve Beaton & Mark Webster also moving into the last 16.
Taylor completed a clean sweep in Group E with a third successive victory, defeating King 5-3 to knock the Norfolk ace out of the tournament.
The three-time Grand Slam of Darts champion now face Wes Newton in the second round on Friday night, and is looking forward to an exciting contest at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
“I’m very pleased,” said Taylor. “Getting through the group stage unbeaten is the first goal and I’ve achieved that, and my performances have been getting better with each game.
“I’m feeling good and it’s going to be a cracking game against Wes on Friday because he’s had a great year.”
Steve Beaton joined Taylor in progressing to the last 16, with last year’s semi-finalist enjoying a 5-2 win over teenager James Hubbard in their final contest.
Beaton now meets Paul Nicholson in the last 16, following his narrow 5-4 defeat of Magnus Caris which denied the Swede a place in the second round and ensures that he tops Group F with a hat-trick of victories.
“I came out very motivated to win the group and, in the end, I did it the hard way,” said Nicholson. “It’s a memorable win for me because it my first time past the group stage but I’m determined to go much further.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Grand Slam of Darts, Mervyn King, Paul Nicholson, PDC Darts Results, Phil Taylor
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William Hill Grand Slam of Darts – Monday Evening Round-Up
Posted on November 15th, 2011
PHIL TAYLOR avenged last year’s defeat to Steve Beaton in the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts on Monday night as he put one foot into the tournament’s last 16 in Wolverhampton.
The three-time Grand Slam of Darts champion saw his reign in the tournament ended 12 months ago with a quarter-final defeat to Beaton.
However, he secured a second successive group stage win in this year’s event with a 5-3 victory over Beaton.
Beaton actually led 2-1 early on, finishing 120 to break throw in the third leg, but Taylor hit an 11-darter in hitting back to lead before finishing 107 for victory.
“Steve’s a great player and he really pushed me again tonight,” said Taylor. “He beat me here last year so I knew I had to be on my game tonight to get the result.
“It’s in my hands now to get through to the last 16 and I know I’ll have a tough game on my hands on Wednesday against Mervyn.
King defeated youngster James Hubbard 5-3 earlier on Monday night to join Beaton on two points in Group E, tension set to be high as they battle for spots in the second round. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Grand Slam of Darts, Paul Nicholson, PDC Darts Results, Phil Taylor, Steve Beaton
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William Hill Grand Slam of Darts – Sunday Afternoon Round-Up
Posted on November 13th, 2011
PHIL TAYLOR began his bid to win a fourth William Hill Grand Slam title with a 5-1 win over teenage debutant James Hubbard on Sunday afternoon, while Adrian Lewis overcame a scare against Martin Phillips to open with a victory.
Taylor, who won the first three Grand Slam events before suffering a quarter-final loss to Steve Beaton last November, opened Group E with a comfortable victory over Hubbard.
The 19-year-old from Norfolk had qualified by reaching the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship final last Friday, and after Taylor led 2-0 he won the third fourth leg to secure a chalk against the 15-time World Champion.
Taylor, though, proved too strong in the next two before punishing four missed doubles from the youngster to gain an opening victory.
“I’m happy with that because I didn’t know how James would play, but he did well,” said Taylor. “I’d watched him practising before the game and he should keep doing what he’s doing because he’ll settle down on stage and play his natural game. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Grand Slam of Darts, James Hubbard, PDC Darts Results, Phil Taylor
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Two Worlds Collide – Phil Haigh Looks at The GSoD
Posted on November 9th, 2011
As the Grand Slam of Darts comes around again for its fifth consecutive year, the inevitable question is raised of how the players from the two rival codes of darts will fair against each other in the only event that sees them toeing the same oche.
I think it is fair comment that the PDC is widely viewed as the highest standard of darting action around largely as that is where the majority of successful players in the BDO move to, but the Grand Slam has thrown a significant spanner in the works of this theory in the shape of Scott Waites.
Scotty 2 Hotty has defied the odds over the last two years by reaching the final of the tournament in 2009 and winning it last year as he came from behind to dramatically snatch victory away from James Wade, an incredible achievement seen as he was, and still is, an amateur, working as a carpenter in Yorkshire.
Tags: 2011, BDO, Grand Slam of Darts, PDC, Phil Haigh, Scott Waites, Tony O'Shea
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Can White Win The Slam in 2011?
Posted on November 9th, 2011
Can Ian ‘Diamond’ White claim Super-Sub status?
Ian will be attempting to add to a list of legendary surprise sporting moments. Sporting enthusiasts of a certain age will spot the idea here; let’s look at the list…
Tags: Grand Slam of Darts, Ian White
Filed under Callum Harris, Darts Blog, Grand Slam of Darts, News, PDC, Tournament News | No Comments »
Grand Slam News, Schedule & Betting Odds
Posted on November 8th, 2011
WOLVERHAMPTON favourite Wayne Jones will open the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts on Saturday night when the £400,000 tournament kicks off at the Wolves Civic.
The 32-player tournament begins at 8pm on Saturday night with eight group matches from Groups A-D being held in front of a sell-out crowd. (Enter our Fantasy Tipster competition here to win great prizes from Bulls & DartsCorner.co.uk)
Jones, whose run to the semi-finals of last year’s Grand Slam of Darts saw the town unite in support of their local professional, will take on World Grand Prix runner-up Brendan Dolan in the tournament’s opening game.
Mark Walsh meets Tony O’Shea before debutant Dean Winstanley faces two-time World Champion Ted Hankey in the night’s third game. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2011, Betting Guide, Fantasy League Darts, Grand Slam of Darts, Odds, Wayne Jones, William Hill
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FREE to Enter GSOD Tipster Competition
Posted on November 6th, 2011
Grand Slam of Darts 2011
Can you beat the Tipster? He makes his predictions and all you have to do is make sure your beat him. Simples. For the Grand Slam of Darts we look to our Fantasy League Darts format which lends itself to group stage and open draw tournaments. Assemble your squad of 6 players using 42 Million of fantasy sterling (42 being the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything). Enter using our unique online form here where all the hard work is done for you including checking the maths!
Prize Breakdown
Bulls Darts in association with DartsCorner have again provided some excellent prizes for our regular Tipster competition as detailed below.
1st Prize = Bulls Pro Touch Scorer 2nd Prize = Bulls Advantage Dart Board
3rd Prize = Bulls Dart Shirt
*Entries registered after 8pm on 12th November will not be counted.
For more details on this and future Beat The Tipster Competitions please see our main Tipster page.
PDC World Grand Prix 2011 (Completed Results) – Sponsored By Bulls Darts in association with Dartscorner.co.uk
Over 100 players signed up to our last Beat The Tipster competition, we asked Chris Mason to complete the draw for us and he picked the following winners:
1st Prize - John Abbot
Bulls Advantage Dart Board, Marker Board Set, Personalised Engraved Aluminium Quiver
2nd Prize - Roger McCullough
Signed copy of John Lowe book ‘The Art of Darts’
3rd Prize – Andrew Foster
DartsMad shirt patch
A 4th prize of a DartsMad patch went to Petri Rasmus who stood alone at the top of the table and scored well in a competition that was tough to call.
Our tipster performed so badly again (62 players got the better of him) we think it is time to retire him!
Tags: DartsMad, Fantasy League Darts, Grand Slam of Darts, Prediction Competition, World Grand Prix 2011
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Both poker and darts are highly popular pursuits. The games are available online, in fact, that there are organizations dedicated to making sure the rules of video poker and online darts are conformed. Similar to darts having the World Darts Federation, among others, and poker has the Tournament Directors Association. These rules are put into place in highly competitive tournaments, in which as many as hundreds or even thousands of people compete for cash prizes as well as prestige.
