Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4

[Sharpe1ne]

Some interesting groups,with the 2nd half of the draw being extremely tough.So theres gonna be some good prices out there.Also the handicaps will be interesting with Anastasia in there.Match prices to follow when available [edit] Group Stages all matches race-to-5/best of 9. NB: P = Played; W = Won; L = Lost; LF = Legs For; LA = Legs Against; +/- = Plus/Minus Record, in relation to legs; Average - 3-dart average; Pts = Points. [edit] Group A

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	Phil Taylor	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Vincent van der Voort	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Andy Jenkins	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Phill Nixon	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Group B

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	Andy Hamilton	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Alan Tabern	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Simon Whitlock	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Brian Woods	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Group C

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	Mark Webster	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Mervyn King	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Michael van Gerwen	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Colin McGarry	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Group D

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	John Part	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Wayne Mardle	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Kevin McDine	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Anastasia Dobromyslova	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Group E

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	Raymond van Barneveld	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Robert Thornton	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Gary Mawson	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Kirk Shepherd	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Group F

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	Terry Jenkins	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Colin Lloyd	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Wes Newton	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Darin Young	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Group G

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	James Wade	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Adrian Lewis	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Denis Ovens	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Niels de Ruiter	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Group H

Pos	Name	P	W	L	LF	LA	+/-	Average	Pts
1	Gary Anderson	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
2	Kevin Painter	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
3	Darryl Fitton	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
4	Paul Nicholson	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0

[edit] Knockout Stages [edit] Last 16 to Final

Second Round (best of 19) Wed 19 & Thu November 20

Quarter Finals (best of 19) Friday November 21

Semi Finals (best of 25) Saturday November 22

Final (best of 35) Sunday November 23

Group A Winner

Group B Runner-Up

Match 1 Winner

Group B Winner

Match 2 Winner

Group A Runner-Up

Quarter-Final 1 Winner

Group C Winner

Quarter-Final 2 Winner

Group D Runner-Up

Match 3 Winner

Group D Winner

Match 4 Winner

Group C Runner-Up

Semi-Final 1 Winner

Group E Winner

Semi-Final 2 Winner

Group F Runner-Up

Match 5 Winner

Group F Winner

Match 6 Winner

Group E Runner-Up

Quarter-Final 3 Winner

Group G Winner

Quarter-Final 4 Winner

Group H Runner-Up

Match 7 Winner

Group H Winner

Match 8 Winner

Group G Runner-Up

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4

Saturday 15 November 2008	Player 1	Player 2	bookmakers margin on the event. However, they do not take account of commissions that may be charged.">BPP
Lewis, A v Ovens, D (12:00GMT)	1.36	3.00	106.67 %	Details »
Hide « Lewis, A v Ovens, D
Hamilton, A v Woods, B (12:40GMT)	1.36	3.00	106.67 %	Details »
Hide « Hamilton, A v Woods, B
Thornton, R v Mawson, G (13:20GMT)	1.30	3.40	106.33 %	Details »
Hide « Thornton, R v Mawson, G
Part, J v Dobromyslova, A (14:00GMT)	1.11	6.00	106.67 %	Details »
Hide « Part, J v Dobromyslova, A
Taylor, P v Nixon, P (14:40GMT)	1.05	9.00	106.35 %	Details »
Hide « Taylor, P v Nixon, P
Webster, M v McGarry, C (15:20GMT)	1.10	6.50	106.29 %	Details »
Hide « Webster, M v McGarry, C
Painter, K v Fitton, D (16:00GMT)	1.66	2.10	107.62 %	Details »
Hide « Painter, K v Fitton, D
Jenkins, T v Young, D (16:40GMT)	1.30	3.40	106.33 %	Details »
Hide « Jenkins, T v Young, D
van der Voort, v v Jenkins, A (18:00GMT)	1.66	2.10	107.62 %	Details »
Hide « van der Voort, v v Jenkins, A
Mardle, W v McDine, K (18:40GMT)	1.72	2.00	107.89 %	Details »
Hide « Mardle, W v McDine, K
Wade, J v De Ruiter, N (19:20GMT)	1.10	6.50	106.29 %	Details »
Hide « Wade, J v De Ruiter, N
Anderson, G v Nicholson, P (20:00GMT)	1.10	6.50	106.29 %	Details »
Hide « Anderson, G v Nicholson, P
van Barneveld, R v Shepherd, K (20:40GMT)	1.10	6.50	106.29 %	Details »
Hide « van Barneveld, R v Shepherd, K
Tabern, A v Whitlock, S (21:20GMT)	1.53	2.37	107.32 %	Details »
Hide « Tabern, A v Whitlock, S
King, M v Van Gerwen, M (22:00GMT)	1.61	2.20	107.36 %	Details »
Hide « King, M v Van Gerwen, M
Lloyd, C v Newton, W (22:40GMT)	1.57	2.25	108.08 %	Details »
Hide « Lloyd, C v Newton, W

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Part v Dobromyslova 100 Pts Dobromyslova +4 legs 2/1 StanJames (Includes the draw) I'm jumping on this one straight away as this price is unbelievable.The bookies have priced this up thinking Anastasia is out of her league,but thats their big mistake.Anastasia is the current BDO Womens World Champion so she knows how to perform on the big stage with the bright lights after battering Trina Gulliver in last years final,and thats no mean feat.She played in the Pub Qualifiers of the PDC's UK Open and won through a tough qualifying tourney where she only dropped 2 legs.Having qualified she drew Robert Thornton in the first round and only just lost out in a tight match 6-5. To win this bet she only has to take 2 legs and with Part still not firing on all cylinders and also the "playing a women" mentality(i.e not wanting to look a pillock) then the bookies are in a lot of trouble. I never really break the rule of more than 10pts but this is a big mistake by the bookies in my opinion and i'm quite happy to stake a wedge load on this bet.

[Spooner]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 100pts :eek Good luck Sharpe. :ok

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 two i like the look of James Wade @ 11.5 Mark Webster @ 34.0 both prices of bf, hopeful i'll at least get a run for my money.;)

[Darlo Fan 1]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Always liked Gary Anderson from the BDO section. Remember him getting beat in a close semi final against Phil Taylor a year or two back. Anyone know what hes playing like at the minute? At 12/1 should I get a run for my money or should I play safe and go each way as he's likely to be against Phil Taylor in the final should be progress...

[kevshat]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4

Always liked Gary Anderson from the BDO section. Remember him getting beat in a close semi final against Phil Taylor a year or two back. Anyone know what hes playing like at the minute? At 12/1 should I get a run for my money or should I play safe and go each way as he's likely to be against Phil Taylor in the final should be progress...

He looked ok in the series of events on Setanta but he's in a real cnut of a quarter there with either Lewis or Wade a last 16 opponent (and the other a quarter final opponent) depending on where he finishes in his group. Not that he isn't good enough to come through that, he really is but 12/1 to do it, I'd need to think a bit before committing I think. Could Taylor have hand picked a better draw :unsure :eek.

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4

100pts :eek Good luck Sharpe. :ok

Cheers fella,if it all goes tits up I've always said Christmas is over-rated;) And it's nice to see as soon as I placed the bet the price dropped to 15/8 and now it's as short as 13/8. Group Bets Group B Winner Simon Whitlock 5pts 4/1 Betfred An interesting group that throws up last years runner-up in the GSOD,Hamilton,Debutant Tabern,and Whitlock and Woods who played each other in the semi-finals of the BDO Champs. Taberns played well in the online Championship of darts and is going well on TV of late but he still seems to suffer the wobbles when getting close to the big games. Hamilton is as consistent as ever but he has the habit of relaxing when he's infront and thats cost him many a time. Woods(or Pecker as he's affectionately known)has great natural talent and some of the performances he put in at the BDO champs last year were astonishing and he could trouble a couple of these,but he's useless at counting and often leaves himself on odd checkouts and weird double choices. Which leaves Whitlock,now this man is the most focused darts player i've ever seen and whether it's playing for a drink or the World Championship this bloke never gives up.He knows when a darts going to block his next shot and can switch to 19's or 18's with deadly accuracy and he's the best counter in the game at present knowing instantly which shot to leave from six darts back.He's fresh and can be devastating at times and in an odd old group at 4/1 he's well worth a shot.

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Group C Mervyn King 10pts 11/8 Betfred Not the toughest group on paper but some containing some players that are hitting form. Webster is the current BDO World Champ and is a fantastic player at the best of times,but some shakey performances against unknowns nearly derailed him last year.Suffers from nerves early on and berates himself badly when things aren't going in and thats why he was outplayed in this event last year. Van Gerwen really is a mixed bag at the moment and he could be the danger in this group.Can play exceptional one minute and then piss poor the next,he's hit a decent bit of form in the recent players champs in Holland ,and an unranked event(missing most of the top players) in Ireland but Hollands where he really plays his best games. McGarry is another unknown quantity but he came through the tough qualifier to get into this event but his scoring and finishing can be erratic.Never to be ruled out as we found with McDine last year who also won through the qualifier and played fantastic throughout. King though is in exceptional form at the moment,winning recently in Holland.In a similar format with the online Championship of darts he battered most of the opposition and got through to the final where he was only just beaten,7-5, by some unknown called Phil Taylor;).High scoring Merv can take out some massive finishes and with confidence running high at the moment he definately be up for this.

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Group G Lewis 10 pts 6/4 Betfred Wades form is erratic at the moment but a recent win in Holland has given him renewed confidence,but even though he prefers matches in legs he was knocked out of the online COD with some abyssmal performances even finishing bottom completely in his 2nd group match.Will be there or there abouts. Ovens played some great darts,on stage,in his 1st round match at the European Champs but again struggled to maintain that form in the second round and it goes to prove that he doesn't seem to have the bottle for the stage game. De-Ruiter has only qualified for this by getting to the BDO semis 2 years ago in what was an erratic tourny at the best of times.He suffers from vertigo and last year in the BDO's he was leaning over almost at a right-angle to throw his darts,hes been out of form this year and shouldn't be in the running for this Lewis recently beat Ovens in the ECOP and that was with some erratic finishing where I don't think he hit his favoured double top at all.Blessed with natural talent and phenominal scoring,shown when thrashing Barney in the ECOP 9-2 with a 108 average.Head and shoulders above the rest and in the OCOD he thrashed Wade 5-2 which included a nine darter so on form alone he really should be favourite from this group.

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Group H Darryl Fitton 5pts 7/2 Betfred Another tricky little group containing 3 outstanding players Anderson is probably 2nd only in the World to Phil Taylor and is again another blessed with natural talent and his scoring power is phenominal,but Anderson seems to struggle in his first round matches on TV.He'll set off at a blistering pace but then seems to go wayward on his doubles.In this event last year he was beaten 5-1 in the first game by Kevin Painter but ultimately got through to the semis and was narrowly beaten by Taylor. Painter is again a great scorer but can go wayward on his doubles if he's not in the right mood.Not in the best form of late but can still pull games out of the bag and might tie up a couple of players. Nicholson is relatively unknown but he qualified for this by being the top player in Australia.But I haven't a clue how good he is because i've never seen him play. Fitton though has struggled recently with back problems this season but on his day he's a monsterous score who at one stage held the highest average in TV event at 113.Was only beaten in the BDO Masters by Robert Thornton,but i would put that down to only having 30mins to recouperate after a titanic tussle in the semis. He's back in form though having finished runner up in the Northern Irish Masters where he was only just beaten by Stephen Bunting,but on good authority he was untouchable in the first few rounds.

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 For the other groups i'm having some gut-instinct betting with no reasoning. Group A. Hmmmmmmmmmm 10pts Taylor 1/9 Ladbrokes. Not really worth a bet but a pounds a pound.:ok Group D. 2pts McDine 11/4 VC. Purely on last years event. Group E. 5pts Thornton 11/8 Sporting Odds. Purely on this years form. Group F. 2pts Newton 5/1 Ladbrokes.Played well to get here and battered me in a local game,he must be favourite then:lol Which leaves me 30pts to have a bet on some of the first round matches which i'll have a do at later or early tomorrow.

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4

Always liked Gary Anderson from the BDO section. Remember him getting beat in a close semi final against Phil Taylor a year or two back. Anyone know what hes playing like at the minute? At 12/1 should I get a run for my money or should I play safe and go each way as he's likely to be against Phil Taylor in the final should be progress...

Anderson can beat the best of them as proved in the Topic or World Darts Trophy last year I think where he beat Taylor then and was only just edged out by Taylor,in the semis 13-11, in the inaugural event last year. He's always in good form but his first match is always a worry.He'll be there or there abouts at the end of it all and in the longer format he's a match for anyone. But with Taylor in ominous form and with the backing of every crowd he'll be all out to win this one.Kev's right though he's in the tough side of the draw with Wade,Barney,Lewis,Thornton i'd rather go E/W with 4 places but no-one seems to be doing that:( If you fancy it go with your heart:ok

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Lots of bets for this week. Tricky sort of event with quick fire matches but hopefully will manage to turn out a few winners. Was going to do some win group winners bets but decided against and instead will just focus on match bets from that perspective. Two outrights in the bottom half to avoid Taylor. Lloyd 50/1 var 2 pts e.w Lloyd has shown some signs of some sort of comebeack this year whilst at others times being disappointing. His floor play has been top class with 3 wins, lots of q/fs+ in events and he has held that form all year. He also played well at the us open to get to the final of that event and therefore qualify for this. However in other tv tornaments of late he has come up short despite a couple of wins in ire. However looking at the group I can see him getting through this one. Jenkins has been erratic this year by his normal standards, Newton did well to win a qualifier but he hasnt done well enough in general in 2008 to even get to most tv events and Young whilst capable at times, probably lacks a bit of the class required even though the format could even that up. After that he could face Thornton/Barney and potentially a Lewis/Wade/Anderson in a semi but tbh as long as he is not up against Taylor he is not out of any game in this and one could point out to the slight inconsistency in the play of the big guns in the bottom half barney, wade and anderson by there normally evry high standards. Also he is the type of player who is dangerous in terms of the confidence a couple of wins on his back gives and it could be a decent week for jaws if he gets those early wins. Fitton 125/1 tote 1pt e.w Tough group with 2 into 3 between Anderson, Painter and Fitton one would imagine. However Fitton cant be ruled out of this totally, far from oit. He has the scoring capabilities to live with anyone, ok maybe not the Taylor consistency in terms of scoring but he is still a fine scorer and he can really bang in the 180s when he gets going. His problem comes with the doubles if anything and that came back to haunt him at crucial points against Thornton in a narrow loss at the World Masters final last year and against Webster in the worlds when he was quality early on in that event, over 100 average in his second round game (only of either W/C last year) with 180s for fun. However he recently got to the final of an NI event and whilst that form lacks major substance like a PDC event, it at least shows that he isnt out of form, he is a quality and dangerous player on his day and could shock a few, 125/1 could turn out to be a big price.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Four for the first day in the lottery of the first round. Woods 9/4 var 10 pts Now have to say I dont know too much about Woods' recent form apart from one event where he got to the q/f up north for what it is worth. However I was impressed with him during Lakeside early this year and if he is anything like in the form of that event this time around, he is a threat to Hamilton. He reached the semis of that event and it got him into this and played well. He took out a couple of names too in Stompe and Waites before losing to Whitlock and played a solid enough standard throughout and one that should make him competitive here. Its not a total shock either as he has played well in the masters before when reaching the q/fs a couple of times. In Hamilton he faces a solid player who is a proven class act now and of course last years finalist but in short formats anything can happen and it wouldnt be a massive shock if Woods won. Fitton 5/4 var 10 pts Similarly to what I said earlier. Fitton a class act on his day and in particular a massive scorer. Painter was good in this event last year in particular early on but he has had a couple of crushing defeats of late on TV and by that I mean mentally bad defeats and for a player like Painter that can be an issue. He shouldnt have lost to Lloyd in Ire. nor really when starting like he did against Manley in the last tv event. Fitton maybe able to take advantage of that as long as he doesnt have too many troubles on those doubles. McDine 11/10 var 10 pts McDine was a man who was well known on the circuit last year but it wasnt until this event when he came to Tv prominance with a brilliant run to the semis. Beat the likes of Wade and Klaasen in that event and played really well before losing a game to hamilton he probably shouldnt have. Since then he hasnt really made the consistent breakthrough he promised with a bunch of mediocre floor results. However it could just be that the stage brings the best out of him, he played well enough to beat Lewis and Walsh in Blackpool when reaching the q/fs. In Mardle he plays someone who doesnt totally convince about his form this year despite some results notably Blackpool where he reached the semis despite playing mediocre standards wise. Just fancy McDine in a format that really suits him. Lloyd 8/13 var 10 pts See earlier. Actually its not an easy one against Newton who has beaten Lloyd before but Newton hasnt had the best of years until qualifying for this. He hasnt been seen in tv events mainly because he hasnt done enough to get there and one good bunch of results (qualifying for this) doesnt change that straight away. Think Lloyd might just have too much for him.

[jeff43]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 I know nothing about darts but I have picked out some of the favorites, do you guys think these are all very likely:

John Part v Anastasia Dobromyslova	John Part	Head-to-Head		1.10
Phil Taylor v Phil Nixon	Phil Taylor	Head-to-Head		1.05
Mark Webster v Colin McGarry	Mark Webster	Head-to-Head		1.10
James Wade v Niels De Ruiter	James Wade	Head-to-Head		1.10
Gary Anderson v Paul Nicholson	Gary Anderson	Head-to-Head		1.10
Raymond Barneveld v Kirk Shepherd	Raymond Barneveld	Head-to-Head		1.10

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4

I know nothing about darts but I have picked out some of the favorites, do you guys think these are all very likely:

John Part v Anastasia Dobromyslova	John Part	Head-to-Head		1.10
Phil Taylor v Phil Nixon	Phil Taylor	Head-to-Head		1.05
Mark Webster v Colin McGarry	Mark Webster	Head-to-Head		1.10
James Wade v Niels De Ruiter	James Wade	Head-to-Head		1.10
Gary Anderson v Paul Nicholson	Gary Anderson	Head-to-Head		1.10
Raymond Barneveld v Kirk Shepherd	Raymond Barneveld	Head-to-Head		1.10

I'd say theres nowt wrong with those as they all seem to be bang on. Barney looked a bit shaky but he hates the crowds like that but he should see through against Kirk "The Tosser" Shepherd.Taylor,Wade and Webster played very well and Anderson should beat Nicholson. Though i'm now starting to think Anastasia has a very good chance of actually beating Part.She showed some great form infront of a crowd that showed no respect to the players,I Know it was Pro-Celeb but i'm expecting that all week from a bunch of wannabe tossers:@ they were even wolf-whistling whilst she was throwing:@. So i'm having a cheeky 2pt Anastasia 7.6/1 BetDaq to beat Part

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 There's too many bets out there so I think thats my lot for today.:ok Good Luck all:ok i'm off for a kip:zzz and then a dinner to dawn drinkathon:beer

[jeff43]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 I took out Part and Barney, from your advice, and put the rest in a multi with some rugby bets, I'm putting my freebet on it :hope I just tried to do the bet but freebets cant go on multi's :sad

[kevshat]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Good luck Sharpey mate :ok. I'm going to go with 3 outright. No massive conviction or confidence behind any of them but they are all big prices. Minimum stakes though. 1pt ew R.Thornton to win Grand Slam of Darts 40/1 Betfred Robert Thornton is making great strides in the PDC and he made his 1st televised semi final 2 weeks ago in Frankfurt at the European Championships. He played pretty well that weekend too and should take that momentum into this event. He's shown in his short PDC life that he can compete with most of them and he was the BDO number one when he moved over so he's got them covered. This bottom half of the draw is stacked with top players so whoever comes through it will have to play well but Thornton definitely has the quality to come through so I'll take him at 40/1. 1pt ew M.van Gerwen to win Grand Slam of Darts 100/1 Ladbrokes When looking for an outside bet in the top half of the draw the 1st thing you have to ask is who can beat Taylor when he plays well? Well one answer is Michael van Gerwen. He did it a few times overseas over the past couple of years so we've got that bit covered. The young Dutchman hasn't been in form recently and we've hardly seen him on our TV screens for a while but the early format of this tournament means you don't have to have been, you just need a couple of inspired legs in a best of 9. If van Gerwen can escape from what has to be called a tough group then the 1st couple of knockout rounds gives him a chance to hit his top form and if he's playing like that when he comes up against Taylor should he get that far he'd have a chance. Things need to go his way but he's way too good to be 100/1 in a weak half of the draw. 1pt ew G.Mawson to win Grand Slam of Darts 300/1 Sportingbet Massive price this. 6 months ago the Canadian reached the UK Open final playing some inspired darts. With that in mind 300/1 is a very big price. Let's not forget in that tournament he beat Barney in the semi final and Mark Dudbridge among others on the way to that stage. That performance showed that Mawson can compete at this level and that came 6 months after he looked really good early doors in this tournament. He came through a group which involved beating John Part and was unfortunate to collide with Phil Taylor in the 2nd round. Any guy who makes a major PDC final shouldn't be 300/1 so I'll take my chances on Mawson here.

[kevshat]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 One more! 10pts 170 checkout in the tournament 8/11 Sportingbet The very best players in the world are at this tournament and with so many legs having to be won I believe we'll see the 170 hit this week. There were quite a few chances of it at the European Championship and it's only a matter of time before we see it again. The 170 isn't as regular as it once was with players aware of using the 25 to leave better outshots and things but at some stage in this tournament I expect to see a 170 finish.

[kevshat]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 3 for me today. 10pts K.McDine to beat W.Mardle 11/10 Stan James Kevin McDine shot to TV darts fans prominence in this event last year where he looked a finalist all the way until Andy Hamilton edged him out in the semi finals. I thought he'd kick on bigtime but he's struggling to get up the rankings and is realising the qualifiers aren't easy for the big events. However he made it to Blackpool thanks to his players championship form and took advantage there coming through some tough matches on a run to the quarter finals. Wayne Mardle has been fairly consistent this year especially in the majors with semi finals in the big 2, the world championship and the matchplay. That said though you can never be completely sure he's going to hit doubles. The bright lights seem to bring out the best in the highly confident geordie and in a match which could go either way, McDine's the call at 11/10. 10pts S.Whitlock to beat A.Tabern 13/8 VC Now either bookies don't know darts or they only watch PDC darts because this is a pick em match for me. In fact you could make a strong argument for Simon Whitlock to be favourite. He is a seriously good darts player and has been for many many years. He had an excellent BDO world championship where only Mark Webster was too good for him and that was only just. The Australian doesn't just hit 180's, he murders the fcukers when he gets going. I was close to backing him outright but the possibility of facing Taylor in the 2nd round dampened my enthusiasm there but I'll get stuck in during his group matches. Alan Tabern is also a decent darts player and can more than hold his own at this level but he's not yet broken through into the very top level of darts. It may only be the BDO but Whitlock has and at this price I have to go with the Aussie Wizard here. 10pts J.Wade -3.5 legs to beat N.de Ruiter 4/5 Boylesports Despite only keeping my eye in on the BDO scene rather than following it profusely the last I heard of Niels de Ruiter was when he averaged a terrible 70 something against Glenn Moody in the world championship. I've just tried to look up his BDO/WDF ranking and I can't find it so I'm not sure what he's up to now but I do know he was struggling from vertigo here last year. Wade beat de Ruiter 5-1 here last year and can repeat the dose at least tonight. People say Wade is out of form but that's crap. He won a players tournament in Holland last week and is still a good darts player. That win last week leaves me in no doubt he's playing well and convinces me he'll win this no worse than 5-1.

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 de ruiters ranking is 500 and something:eek

[kevshat]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 It would be if he reckons he hasn't played a game of darts for months. Didn't have to wait too long for the 170 :lol.

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Ohhhh my head..............:( Ohhhh my wallet.............:( Well that was a horrendous day and Blackburn lost too:( Though thats the insane game that is darts:lol Anastasia had her chances but how can you compensate for a bunch of feckin tossers in the crowd.On her first leg when she was setting up the checkout they were wolf-whistling ,again, whilst she was throwing and it just ended up like a feckin pantomime show. This I think has put off most of the players and thats why we saw some shite darts throughout,Fitton summed it up perfectly when he said that in any other events security would kick these people out. Now ITV aren't really helping by shoving the camera into the crowd just for the feckers to get up and scream and shout whilst the players are throwing. Mason and Warriners' comments on how people have paid good money to come and see this and the players should put up with it is so feckin stupid it beggars belief because its having the counter effect on the darts.I remember on a couple of occasions these two have thrown there toys out of the pram when this happened to them. Nicholsons treatment was horrendous and again they said he shouldn't have wound up the crowd but before the match started they were shouting and screaming "who are ya" and to boo him on the double to win was one of the worst things i've ever seen.I'd have walked off stage each and everytime they did it.Though I notice they kept quite as mouses when Taylor was throwing,proving these people don't actually care about darts at all they just want to get shite-faced and get on TV.

[RussP]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Sharpy, you had Anastasia at +4 legs and she lost 5-1. Do you get your stake back on that? Kev, 3 from 4 yesterday including the 170. Good start:ok

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 Bar Anastasia every bet is still on but today will sort out nearly everything and the standard should improve in the Loser v Loser matches today as if they lose this one bar a miracle there out of the tourny. Though i'm still sticking with Anastasia and 5pts at 9-2 Sporting Odds to beat Mardle who just looks like he's completely lost the plot and 5pts on McDine 5/4 Stanjames to beat Part who was damn lucky against Anastasia as he was all over the place. The most interesting match tonight is Fitton v Nicholson and I wouldn't be surprised if they both walked off the stage tonight. Interesting that my gut instinct bets are working better than my reasoning bets,maybe thats the future:lol Nice call Kev on McDine,Wade and the 170:ok And Woody on the Fitton,McDine:ok

[Sharpe1ne]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4

Sharpy, you had Anastasia at +4 legs and she lost 5-1. Do you get your stake back on that? Kev, 3 from 4 yesterday including the 170. Good start:ok

Nah matey it included the draw,thank goodness I'm nearly skint as it means I can't afford to buy Razor Blades,Bottles of Pills or a length of rope;) I'm gonna miss most of the action today as i'm playing superleague in a couple of hours and if one cnut boo's me onstage expect to see me on the front page of The Lancashire Telegraph:lol

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 2 winners and 2 losers yesterday for minor profit so far. Shepherd 11/10 var 10 pts Shepherd was rubbish yesterday but he is better than that and this is a far more winnable match. He had a fairytale run in the worlds to somehow get to the final at the start of the year and since then has done nothing really. However the signs are that in the last month he has picked up a bit, he got to the semis in a NI event and had a couple of last 16s in holland last week. Mawson also had a surprise run in the UK Open all the way to the final. However he similarly to Shepherd has done little since and also he was poor yesterday against Thornton, took 3 legs but struggled with an average just over 80 and seemed to struggle with a foot problem. I think the youngster might just nick this one. Young 11/10 var 10 pts In the first round Young played much better than Newton. Newton was poor against Lloyd, below 80 average and it was Lloyd's missed doubles that enabled him to win that game. Indeed really it was only the 170 in the last leg which was the only bit of quality by Newton. It probably sums up his general form because even though qualified for this, he has done little all year. Young can play darts and has shown that a few times in events like the Vegas classic where he has won a match a couple of times including this year. He came back to beat Jenkins yesterday and that was a good win, he averaged over 90 in that game and a similar performance against Newton could be good enough especially if Newton plays like he did last night.

[kevshat]

Re: Grand Slam Of Darts:Starts 15th Nov ITV4 I'm taking 4 today. 10pts M.van Gerwen to beat M.Webster 6/5 Blue Square Having backed the Dutchman outright I probably shouldn't have this bet as if he loses this he's out but I fancy him to win this one. I didn't see Mark Webster yesterday but looking at the averages he didn't play very well and I've heard about a bit of an injury he might be carrying. van Gerwen's average was higher yesterday and I didn't think he played that badly, he just didn't hit his doubles. He lost 5-1 to King but he could easily have won those 6 legs 4-2. Finishing isn't usually a problem for van Gerwen though and he's known for big finishes and I'll chance him to win today against the BDO world champ who bombed out early last year and could do so again. 10pts A.However you spell her name +2.5 legs to beat W.Mardle 6/4 Stan James I'm not even going to try and spell her name so we'll go with Anastasia :lol. She had her chances yesterday to win more legs off John Part and having experienced what it's like now I think she'll go better today. It's always going to be hard for the 3 blokes in this group because of the male pride of losing to any woman let alone one as good as this. 6 months ago Anastasia took Robert Thornton to an 11th and deciding leg in the UK Open so she's got the pedigree to take 3 legs off an out of sorts Mardle. Even if Mardle plays better than last night, which we would have to expect he's still never reliable especially on his doubles. Having watched the early darts today the crowd seems a bit better so hopefully they'll let Anastasia play her darts and she can win 3 legs. 10pts A.Hamilton to beat A.Tabern 10/11 Blue Square I'd probably have Hamilton as the favourite here. He's playing some decent darts at the minute and he seems to love this stage. He averaged over 105 against Brian Woods and seems to be showing the form which we know he can produce. Tabern played well against Whitlock last night but that wasn't the real Simon Whitlock. Tabern is a very good player and has made plenty of quarter finals and semi finals in major events but other than when he beat Barney in Vegas, I don't remember too many wins over the established players so I think Hamilton will win this and claim a 2nd round spot avoiding Taylor in the process. 10pts K.McDine to beat J.Part 5/4 Betfred I don't like taking John Part on partly as he's been good for me in the past and partly because he's such a good player and a fighter but I don't think these short sprints do him any favours and neither really does all his travelling. He'll probably be better tonight for playing a bloke but he's got his work cut out against a very good player who is confident and in form. McDine is another who seems to love this stage and although his average last night wasn't good, it didn't have to be. He still out averaged Part though and in a match which I expect to be fairly high quality I'll go with Supermac here.