Grand Slam of Darts 2020 schedule: Monday afternoon session, featuring Cross, Durrant and Anderson

The Grand Slam of Darts is back to usher in the business end of a rejigged PDC season.

Thanks to a severe compression of the calendar, a frantic Winter Series has decided a lot of things for us. Now it's onto the three majors which end the season: The Grand Slam of Darts, the Players Championship Finals, and the World Championship. The Grand Slam will obviously be different this year, not just for the usual COVID reasons, but because the death of the BDO has reduced their representation to the last two BDO world champions ever. Can Gerwyn Price get through a packed field to claim a third straight title?

First up are two players who would just appreciate getting out of the group stage. Rob Cross hasn't had a good year overall, but can pick up momentum at the right time by doing well here. Gaining momentum might be hard against the deliberate action of Justin Pipe. The Somerset ace turns up at his first Grand Slam since 2013 having shown some solid recent form, but facing a fight to get a World Championship berth.

Rounding off the first couple of fixtures in Group D, or Little England, are Dave Chisnall and 2019 World Youth champion Luke Humphries. If Chizzy can repeat that remarkable 121 average picked up during the Winter Series win over David Evans, that'd be much appreciated by everyone - except Humphries.

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Damon Heta comes into his first Grand Slam having added a strong performance at the Winter Series to excelling in the Autumn Series. His first test is a big one; James Wade will be aware of the Australian's powerful scoring and will need to pull out that vintage Wade ruthlessness to keep him at check.

Following on from Heta is fellow Aussie Simon Whitlock. The three-time quarter-finalist will fancy his chances in Group B after a resurgence this year, helped largely by a surprise Grand Prix run. Ryan Searle has had a breakthrough campaign, and is much better placed to succeed than on debut in 2018, when he lost every group stage game.

After winning the Premier League, Glen Durrant was sidelined by a positive COVID-19 test, and didn't make a mark at the Winter Series. Duzza will be aiming to better last year's run to the Grand Slam semi-finals, to overcome that blip. His first test is Jermaine Wattimena, who coasted to the best-of-the-rest spot at the Winter Series and deserves a shot in Coventry.

Wayne Warren has had one hell of a year. He powered his way to becoming world champion - possibly the least fortunate world champion ever (along with Mikuru Suzuki, of course). The BDO collapsed, and Warren was left without a big chunk of promised prize money and a chance to defend his title. The Welshman gets another shot at the Grand Slam, though he's up against players who have had plenty of recent match practice. First among them is Nathan Aspinall, who hasn't yet got out of the group stage of this tournament.

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The other Group H tie is between Dimitri van den Bergh and Ricky Evans. World Matchplay champion Van den Bergh will be the favourite, though Evans is arguably in better recent form and will be up for improving on his 2013 Grand Slam debut.

Gary Anderson is back - remember him? It's been a while. Missing pretty much every event bar the Premier League (which ended just over a month ago) might have left him rusty. But this is the man who barely practises, so don't count on it. Adam Gawlas has a free hit in Coventry; the massively exciting young Czech will get many more chances if he follows current trajectory. A very positive recent performance at the World Cup of Darts makes him a danger to any opponent, starting with the man who, surprisingly, hasn't won the Grand Slam yet.

2020 Grand Slam of Darts Schedule

Monday November 16

Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)

13:10 Rob Cross v Justin Pipe (D)

13:40 Dave Chisnall v Luke Humphries (D)

14:10 James Wade v Damon Heta (F)

14:40 Simon Whitlock v Ryan Searle (B)

15:10 Glen Durrant v Jermaine Wattimena (F)

15:40 Nathan Aspinall v Wayne Warren (H)

16:10 Dimitri Van den Bergh v Ricky Evans (H)

16:40 Gary Anderson v Adam Gawlas (B)