Grand Slam of Darts 2016: Scores, Results, Updated Schedule After Sunday
Michael van Gerwen's quest to retain the Grand Slam of Darts crown continued as he booked qualification to the second round of the competition with a 5-1 victory over Brendan Dolan on Sunday evening.
The Dutchman wasn't the only tournament favourite to succeed in the second round of the pool stage, however, as Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson defeated Ian White and Nathan Derry, respectively.
Meanwhile, Dave Chisnall lost to Jamie Hughes, meaning he won't advance in Wolverhampton.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Adrian Lewis failed to recover from the 5-1 hammering he suffered at Scott Mitchell's hands on Saturday, losing to Chris Dobey 5-3, while Peter Wright qualified for the next round with a 5-0 drubbing of Group C rival Simon Whitlock.
Raymond van Barneveld also booked his place in the second stage after defeating Dutch compatriot Danny Noppert 5-2, and Robert Thornton edged Dimitri van den Bergh 5-4 to progress in the competition.
Read on for a breakdown of Sunday's group-stage results, complete with a recap of the evening's best bits and highlights:
| Jeff Smith | 5-4 | Ted Evetts |
| Mensur Suljovic | 5-3 | Nathan Aspinall |
| Gerwyn Price | 5-2 | Scott Waites |
| Jamie Hughes | 5-1 | Dave Chisnall |
| Robert Thornton | 5-4 | Dimitri van den Bergh |
| James Wade | 5-3 | James Wilson |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 5-2 | Danny Noppert |
| Peter Wright | 5-0 | Simon Whitlock |
| Darryl Fitton | 5-4 | Darren Webster |
| Chris Dobey | 5-3 | Adrian Lewis |
| Glen Durrant | 5-1 | Alan Norris |
| Max Hopp | 5-3 | Martin Adams |
| Phil Taylor | 5-1 | Ian White |
| Gary Anderson | 5-0 | Nathan Derry |
| Michael van Gerwen | 5-1 | Brendan Dolan |
| Benito van de Pas | 5-1 | Scott Mitchell |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Gary Anderson vs. Alan Norris |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Nathan Derry vs. Glen Durrant |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Chris Dobey vs. Scott Mitchell |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Brendan Dolan vs. Martin Adams |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Adrian Lewis vs. Benito van de Pas |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Phil Taylor vs. Darren Webster |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Michael van Gerwen vs. Max Hopp |
| 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Ian White vs. Darryl Fitton |
Recap
Van Gerwen was one of numerous players who qualified for the next round of the 2016 Grand Slam of Darts with a match to spare on Sunday, when his 5-1 hammering of Dolan saw him through to the next stage.
Mighty Mike barely broke a sweat en route to his second win in as many outings at Wolverhampton's Civic Hall, assembling a three-dart average of 104.58, per the PDC's official website, one of the best averages of Day 2.
Taylor is arguably the greatest threat to Van Gerwen's title charge this year, and the six-time champion defeated White by an identical scoreline to also book his spot in the competition's second round.
The Power told Live Darts he was "over the moon" with his victory, meaning he'll have his chance to compete for an eighth Grand Slam of Darts final, which would be his fourth in succession:
Fellow Stoke-on-Trent native Lewis didn't have as much fortune on Day 2, and a 5-3 loss to underdog Dobey has left the tournament's No. 3 seed on the brink of a sensational first-round exit.
It was astonishing to see Jackpot amass an average of 108.68 and still crumble after failing to convert a host of finishing opportunities, although that wasn't to take away from a good display from Dobey, per PDC Darts:
Earlier in the day, fifth-seeded Wright blazed a trail to a 5-0 drubbing of the Australian Whitlock after a show of patriotism on Remembrance Sunday yielded a masterful performance from the Scot, per PDC Darts:
"Great gesture of respect shown by @snakebitewright earlier... #RemembranceSunday pic.twitter.com/ReG5imtth2
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 13, 2016"
Anderson collected the other unanswered scoreline on Sunday, as he trounced Derry 5-0, which saw him advance from Group E with a match to spare.
James Wade took to Twitter to celebrate his 5-3 triumph over English countryman James Wilson, and Scot Thornton was also content with his showing after a 5-4 win over Van den Bergh gave him his second win of the pool phase:
Van Barneveld defeated compatriot Noppert to secure his second win, too, but he'll have to wait until Tuesday's meeting against Group F rival Mensur Suljovic to find out if he'll advance to the next round.
The Austrian is still in with a chance of progressing after his 5-3 victory against Nathan Aspinall gave him his first win of the competition, while Chisnall was a surprise elimination after a 5-1 defeat to Hughes left him stranded at the base of Group G.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
