Grand Slam of Darts 2015: Scores, Results, Updated Schedule After Wednesday
Phil Taylor recovered from a four-leg deficit against Terry Jenkins on Wednesday to book his place in the quarter-finals of the 2015 Grand Slam of Darts.
The Power, who is chasing a seventh title at this tournament, will play Robert Thornton in the last eight after the Scot got the better of Robbie Green. There was also a big shock during the night, as Mark Webster dumped out world champion Gary Anderson; the Welshman’s reward will be a quarter-final tie with Raymond van Barneveld after he beat James Wade in a thriller.
Here’s a look ahead to the matches to come in this engrossing tournament and a recap of the best bits of Wednesday’s action from the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
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| Robert Thornton (6) | 10-8 | Robbie Green |
| Phil Taylor (3) | 10-6 | Terry Jenkins |
| Gary Anderson (2) | 6-10 | Mark Webster |
| James Wade (7) | 7-10 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| Michael van Gerwen (1) | vs. | Steve Beaton |
| Martin Adams | vs. | Kim Huybrechts |
| Michael Smith | vs. | Dave Chisnall |
| Peter Wright (4) | vs. | Adrian Lewis (5) |
| Phil Taylor (3) | vs. | Robert Thornton (6) |
| Mark Webster | vs. | Raymond van Barneveld |
Taylor Recovers, Anderson Eliminated
Standing alongside a legendary figure like Taylor on the oche can inhibit or enhance players, and for a while, it seemed as though Jenkins was relishing going up against the 16-time champion of the world.
Indeed, Jenkins flew out of the traps and into a 4-0 lead, stunning the third seed with some heavy scoring and remarkable finishing. It was a start that noticeably shocked Taylor, but he gradually began to get a foothold in the contest and clawed his way back to 4-4, before moving 6-4 ahead with some clinical throwing.
Jenkins seemed set to take this one all the way after a phenomenal 158 checkout. Taylor spurned a shot at the bull that helped him back to a 6-6 scoreline. However, in the end, the Power had too much, moving through the gears like only he can to take a 10-6 win.
As noted here by Live Darts, it wasn’t a performance Taylor was happy with, as he struggled for rhythm throughout:
One man who is certainly in the groove at the moment is the in-form Thornton, who will meet the third seed in the quarters.
The Grand Prix champion was cruising in this one at 7-3. Green showcased a lot of spirit to peg the match back to 7-6, before two swaggering darts in the double 16 sent the fans wild, pulling the deficit back to one at 9-8. It was a fightback that would have troubled lesser players, but Thornton held his nerve to win the 18th leg and notch a 10-8 triumph.
Here’s what the seventh seed, who has made major improvements in recent months, had to say in the aftermath, per the PDC Darts Twitter account:
For Thornton’s compatriot Anderson, it was a poor evening, as he was eliminated after a masterclass in finishing from his opponent Webster.
While the world champion was below his usual high standards, great credit must go to the Welshman. It’s been a year of promise from Webster after a string of impressive runs in illustrious tournaments, so perhaps this imperious showing against a quality opponent shouldn’t come as such a surprise, as the 32-year-old raced to a 10-6 triumph.
As we can see, Webster was ruthless when Anderson, who didn’t actually play too badly looking at the numbers, gave him opportunities:
The man tasked with taming Webster in the quarters will be Van Barneveld, after he got the better of Wade in a gripping final match of the evening.
After some even opening exchanges, which included breaks of throw for each player, Wade seemed set to take control of the contest in the latter stages. The man known as "The Machine" opened up a three-leg gap to the Dutchman at 7-4, but Barney sought to slow the pace down and regroup, and it seemed to rattle his opponent.
Indeed, Van Barneveld calmly put together leg after leg, Wade missed chance after chance and eventually, after six in succession, the Dutchman notched a 10-7 win. Afterwards, a beaten Wade refused to shake the hand of his opponent, clearly unhappy with the tactics he deployed.
Top seed Michael van Gerwen will be seeking to join the likes of Taylor, Van Barneveld and Webster in the quarter-finals on Thursday, as he faces Steve Beaton. In addition, fourth seed Peter Wright faces fifth seed Adrian Lewis in what looks likely to be the tie of the round.
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