Michael van Gerwen wasted no time against Lisa Ashton and wasn't in the mood to be embroiled in another battle with Joe Cullen on the second night of action at the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts.
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A truly unplayable display from the Green Machine saw him break the average record at the Grand Slam of Darts with 115.19 beating the previous effort set last year by Dimitri van den Bergh.
Cullen missed 64 for an opening hold after a 180 and was royally punished by Van Gerwen who came back with a stunning 138 for a break.
He missed the chance for a 114 checkout to break again but Cullen was well back and he swept another break for a 3-0 lead.
Cullen left himself 48 for a break back and returned for it with MVG unable to claim a 112 checkout. He missed two darts for a break but wasn't punished.
'The Rockstar' got his first leg on the board and was throwing for 3-2. Both exchanged 180's with Cullen following his up with a 140 to get down to 132.
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But Van Gerwen went better for a 171 to leave 16 after just nine darts. He pinned double eight for a 4-1 lead.
Cullen pinned another 180 but was still playing catch up with Van Gerwen on 99 after nine darts. He returned with Cullen unable to make inroads onto 130.
But for once, MVG was chasing round the board and Cullen was back for an 80 checkout and another break to make it 4-2.
It was another 180 for Cullen, a fourth in total but it was 58 after nine for Van Gerwen after a 174 set up. MVG pinned it to bookend an incredible display.
Before that, Gabriel Clemens punished Peter Wright and once again saw off the World Number Two on TV after his victory at the World Darts Championship just under a year ago.
Sent all the way to a decider after the pair couldn't be split throughout the contest, Clemens missed two for the match. Only for Wright to return and miss the same amount himself.
Finally 'The German Giant' returned for a clean kill on double 16 for the victory with Group E very much all still to play for.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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🚨 𝗔 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗠 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗! 🚨
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN HAS JUST AVERAGED 115.19! 🤯🔥
MvG defeats Joe Cullen 5-2 and breaks the record for the highest average in Grand Slam history!
𝙐𝙣𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.
𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗦 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧! 🇩🇪
Peter Wright misses two match darts as Gabriel Clemens completes a hugely important 5-4 success over the former World Champion!
Still all to play for in Group E!