Schedule Grand Slam of Darts 2024 Sunday afternoon with first Luke Littler v Gary Anderson tie stealing spotlight

Sunday, 17 November 2024 at 06:00

Sunday, the battle for the title at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts comes to a denouement. It will be a tough day for the players who eventually reach the semifinals, as the two players who win their semifinals Sunday afternoon must return to the stage in Wolverhampton on Sunday night.

It is the eighteenth time the Grand Slam of Darts has taken place. Phil Taylor is the record winner with six Grand Slam titles. Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price each won the event three times. Scott Waites, Raymond van Barneveld, Luke Humphries, Michael Smith and Jose de Sousa won the Eric Bristow Trophy once. In 2023, Humphries ran away with the title by beating Rob Cross 16-8 in the final.

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The contrast between the two semifinals is enormous. The first semifinal is between two players for whom it will be the most important match of their careers. Neither player has ever reached the semifinals of a major before. The other semifinal is between two players with an impressive list of achievements.

The biggest shock of the tournament was Mickey Mansell, the current number 56 in the world. Although he then lost 5-1 to Luke Humphries, he kept the reigning world champion below him in his pool. That was because Mansell did manage to win his matches against James Wade (5-3) and Rowby-John Rodriguez (5-3), while Humphries suffered two defeats. 'Clonoe Cyclone' then won handsomely 10-7 from Danny Noppert, before dealing with Cameron Menzies (16-15) after a blood-curdling thriller.

Martin Lukeman is also just one win away from a first major final. 'Smash' convincingly won his group by defeating Peter Wright (5-0), Rob Cross (5-3) and Leonard Gates (5-3). The 39-year-old then triumphed 10-5 against Ross Smith, after which Cross again had to bow to his compatriot. Lukeman was trailing 1-5, but eventually pulled ahead 16-11.

It will be the sixth showdown between Mansell and Lukeman between them. The balance is not so good for Lukeman, as of the five previous matches, four were won by Mansell. However, they never played a stage match against each other.

Anderson is competing in the Grand Slam of Darts for the seventeenth time and just as many times 'The Flying Scotsman' managed to get past the group stage. The Scot did so as group winner after victories over Ryan Joyce (5-1), Michael van Gerwen (5-4) and Noa-Lynn van Leuven (5-4). Especially in his opening game against Joyce, Anderson left a rock-solid impression with an average of 113.20. At the start of the knockout stage, Anderson faced Stephen Bunting and 'The Bullet' was defeated 10-6. Anderson's form was really put to the test in the quarter-finals. The two-time world champion had to work hard against Gian van Veen, but Anderson eventually won 16-14.

After first-round exits at the ranking majors World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and the European Darts Championships, 'The Nuke' had convincingly survived the first shuffle at the Grand Slam of Darts. The 17-year-old teenage sensation had a formidable start to his tournament in Wolverhampton on Saturday by beating Keane Barry 5-0 thanks to an average of 112. This was followed by a 5-1 victory over Dimitri van den Bergh with a moyenne of 106.98. In an attractive duel, he was then also too strong for Lourence Ilagan (5-3) with 102.05 average. Against Mike de Decker, however, Littler escaped elimination. The Belgian was the better player, leading both 8-4 and 9-7, but De Decker was skillfully played out of the match by a partisan crowd. Supported by a few whistlers from the venue, Littler came back and pulled out a 10-9 win.

In the quarterfinals, Littler came up with an absolute masterclass against Jermaine Wattimena. 'The Machine Gun' was completely wiped out and defeated 16-2 by an unleashed Littler. If the young Englishman manages to maintain that form, his name can already be engraved on the cup. But before 'The Nuke' can actually play for the Eric Bristow Trophy, he will first have to deal with Anderson. It will only be the first official meeting between the two world class players.

How can you watch the Grand Slam of Darts on TV?

In the UK, it is shown on Sky Sports. As usual, the tournament begins with a group stage with eight pools of four players each. The group stage takes place from Saturday through Tuesday, with all players playing three times.

The top two players from each group will advance to the knockout phase. Starting Wednesday, Nov. 13, the knockout phase will begin with the first matches of the final sixteen. This round will be completed on Thursday, Nov. 14. The quarter-finals will be played on Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, before the semifinals and finals are finished on Sunday, Nov. 17.

How much prize money is up for grabs?

The event has been part of the PDC calendar since 2007. Back then, the prize pool already included £300,000, with £80,000 going to the winner. The prize pool was thrown up a few times in the following years, and in 2019 more than half a million prize money was distributed at the Grand Slam of Darts for the first time. Since the 2022 edition, the prize pool includes £650,000.

Every participant in the Grand Slam of Darts is guaranteed £5,000, which is the prize money you will be paid if you finish last in your pool. This amount can eventually go up to a sum of 150,000 pounds for the winner of the tournament. The players who win their pools in the group stage receive a bonus of 3,500 pounds. The Grand Slam has been a ranking tournament since 2015, so the prize money won counts toward the PDC Order of Merit.

Format

Group stage: Best of 9 legs

Second round: Best of 19 legs

Quarterfinals: Best of 31 legs

Semifinals: Best of 31 legs

Final: Best of 31 legs