Grand Slam of Darts 2016: Scores, Results, Updated Schedule After Saturday
Day 1 of the 2016 Grand Slam of Darts took centre stage on Saturday, as the group phase kicked off at the Civic Hall, Wolverhampton.
The tournament is divided into eight groups of four from the two major organisations in world darts: the Professional Darts Corporation and the British Darts Organisation.
All of the sport’s big names were in action across two sessions on the first day, and here we recap the best of the day’s action.
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| Match | Result |
| Gerwyn Price vs. Dimitri van den Bergh | 4-5 |
| Simon Whitlock vs. Ted Evetts | 5-1 |
| Dave Chisnall vs. James Wilson | 2-5 |
| Mensur Suljovic vs. Danny Noppert | 3-5 |
| Robert Thornton vs. Scott Waites | 5-3 |
| Raymond van Barneveld vs. Nathan Aspinall | 5-1 |
| James Wade vs. Jamie Hughes | 5-3 |
| Peter Wright vs. Jeff Smith | 5-1 |
| Brendan Dolan vs. Max Hopp | 5-4 |
| Alan Norris vs. Nathan Derry | 4-5 |
| Ian White vs. Darren Webster | 5-3 |
| Benito van de Pas vs. Chris Dobey | 5-4 |
| Phil Taylor vs. Darryl Fitton | 5-1 |
| Gary Anderson vs. Glen Durrant | 5-4 |
| Michael van Gerwen vs. Martin Adams | 5-2 |
| Adrian Lewis vs. Scott Mitchell | 1-5 |
| Session | Time (GMT) |
| Afternoon | 1 p.m. |
| Evening | 7:30 p.m. |
World No. 1 and tournament holder Michael van Gerwen started his tournament in style on Saturday. He eased past BDO legend Martin Adams 5-2 to go straight to the top of Group A.
Adams had been suffering with illness prior to taking to the stage. But the Dutchman showed no sympathy as he broke the BDO star’s throw immediately before cruising to the finish line.
Brendan Dolan and Max Hopp, who played out a roller coaster clash earlier in the day, join Van Gerwen in Group A. Dolan eventually prevailed 5-4.
In the afternoon session, Van Gerwen’s countryman, Raymond van Barneveld, stole the show with an emphatic display against Nathan Aspinall.
Barney averaged a whopping 110.15 to see off Aspinall 5-1 and bring his odds tumbling down for tournament success.
Phil Taylor, meanwhile, was equally solid, as he defeated the BDO’s Darryl Fitton 5-1.
The Power was streets ahead of his opponent throughout the match. He surrendered only a leg in the dying embers of the match as Fitton made it 4-1.
Taylor came right back at him, though, and casually notched 40 to kick off the tournament with a win, per PDC:
The game of the night, however, came when world champion Gary Anderson took to the stage.
The Flying Scotsman took on BDO No. 1 Glen Durrant, and both players served up a ding-dong battle that went completely with throw.
Despite some shaky moments on doubles, Anderson came through 5-4 to head up Group E.
There was just the one shock on the opening day, as BDO’s Scott Mitchell thrashed two-time world champion Adrian Lewis.
Lewis took the opening leg and looked impressive, but Mitchell reeled off the next five legs for an incredible 5-1 win.
Two more group games remain for darts’ best at the Civic Hall, with leg difference potentially proving all-important come the business end of the opening phase.
The PDC, as expected, has dominated the opening day of the tournament. But there’s still a long way to go and plenty of chances for the BDO to have its say.
Van Gerwen, Van Barneveld, Taylor and Co. will take some stopping. However, with the likes of Mitchell and Durrant in exceptional form, just the second BDO champion is a distinct possibility.
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