2021 Grand Slam of Darts – Day 3 Preview
2021 Grand Slam of Darts – Day 3 Preview
It’s Monday, and that brings the start of the final round of group games. The first day of action featuring only one session and will see the qualification spots decided in Groups A-D.
We race to five again, and with places in the knockout stages still up for grabs in every group, there is something to play for for everyone.
Here’s what we’ve got coming up this evening…
King and Wade need a positive result
Two of the biggest names in PDC Darts come into their final group games needing a win to progress after both succumbing to shocks defeats on the opening day.
We start in Group B, where Mervyn King is up against it as he takes on the form player in world darts, Jonny Clayton. Clayton, with 2 wins from 2, and impressive ones at that, only needs 2 legs to progress while for King, just a win may not be enough.
A 5-1 win for King assures him of qualification. Anything less than that will mean he needs some help from the man he defeated on Sunday, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, who takes on Bradley Brooks in the other match. The advantage for King is that he’ll be going on stage knowing exactly what he needs to do, having been able to watch the result of the other game.
In Group C, it’s also wide open as Wade can guarantee his place in the next round by defeating Rob Cross, by a score of 5-2 or better. For Cross, 3 legs will be enough to see him progress after two impressive victories over the weekend.
If Wade fails to get the scoreline he needs, his progression will be in the hands of Jim Williams, who takes on the winless and already eliminated Boris Krcmar, knowing a strong victory will enhance his chances of going through. Wade, like King, will have the benefit of knowing exactly what he needs when he walks to the stage.
The knockout stages start early
Ending the night, we have the drama of two straight shootouts for a place in the next round.
The first of these comes in Group A, as Krzysztof Ratajski and Nathan Rafferty square off for the chance to join Gerwyn Price in the qualification spots. Ratajski, will need to play much better than he did when on the end of a whitewash from the World Number One, while Rafferty will be full of confidence after two impressive performances on debut.
Finishing the night, we have Stephen Bunting and Rowby-John Rodriguez in the same situation. Relentless Ryan Joyce has defeated the pair to book his spot, but with both defeating Chris Dobey, they go head to head knowing they win and they are in. Bunting has been impressive in both games and will hope his experience tells and gets him over the line against the World Cup Finalist from Austria.
Full fixtures
Monday November 15
8x Group Matches
Chris Dobey v Ryan Joyce (D)
Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler (A)
Boris Krcmar v Jim Williams (C)
James Wade v Rob Cross (C)
Bradley Brooks v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (B)
Jonny Clayton v Mervyn King (B)
Krzysztof Ratajski v Nathan Rafferty (A)
Stephen Bunting v Rowby-John Rodriguez (D)
How can I follow the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts?
The Grand Slam of Darts will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. If you’re outside the UK or Ireland, you can watch it via the PDC broadcast partner in your country, such as RTL or DAZN.
You can also live stream the event. Find out more here.
We’ll have you covered here at Online Darts, with reaction with every winner of every game direct from Wolverhampton. Head over to our YouTube channel and hit subscribe so you don’t miss a video.
We’ll have a live blog for you every session of the tournament, so you don’t miss a moment even if you can’t watch live.
Plus, we give regular updates on:
We’ll also produce The Fallout Bar. After play, our team will get you caught up on all the stories of the day, plus have interviews from the players throughout. It will be broadcast live on our YouTube channel after play, and then as a podcast the following morning.
Follow all the drama of the Grand Slam of Darts with us here at Online Darts.
