2020 has given us another first, this time at the World Grand Prix.
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Seven matches were played on the opening night in Coventry, but nine players are going home. Stephen Bunting and Adrian Lewis became the first major COVID casualties. Three World Grand Prix seeds have been sent packing; then again, the quality of opponent who saw off James Wade, Rob Cross and Gary Anderson is a reminder that seeding means next to nothing here.
Semi re-run
Anyway, there's a chance that we've got a full nine matches to savour on Wednesday, starting with Brendan Dolan's clash with Kim Huybrechts. Dolan's relationship with this competition is well-known, but he hasn't appeared at the World Grand Prix since 2016, winning just one game in his past four outings.
Jonny Clayton's in a decent spell of form, having recently knocked out some top players en route to the German Darts Championship final. Ian White isn't on such a hot streak and, given his ragged major record, the Welshman will have high hopes - though White's surely due a brilliant run at some point, and this seems like the right year to buck trends.
A year ago, Dave Chisnall and Glen Durrant met in the World Grand Prix semi-finals. Duzza was the slight favourite, but it was Chizzy who prevailed. Ultimately it didn't lead to a title, so both are still chasing a first PDC major. Durrant, the runaway Premier League champion, is now a much bigger favourite - Chisnall's form, like his throw, is a little erratic right now.
Snakey gets started
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Daryl Gurney has had success in this tournament before; doing so again could kick-start what's been a pretty disappointing season overall. Joe Cullen keeps showing signs of promise on the big stage and will be keen to get one over on the man who beat him in round two back in 2017. Cullen has won at least a set in all five World Grand Prix games played prior to this, which suggests Gurney will have a real battle on his hands.
The world champion dances onto stage for a tilt at a first Grand Prix title. Peter Wright's got Ryan Joyce, who takes more tentative steps into the tournament as a debutant. Wright is all geared up for another TV trophy, but Joyce is a classy operator who hits doubles well, so he can't get ahead of himself just yet.
Jermaine Wattimena might want to cast his last TV meeting with Gerwyn Price out of his mind. A Premier League Darts thumping isn't great precedent - though maybe it'll spur on the Dutchman to show what he's made of, especially when compatriots Danny Noppert, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Michael van Gerwen all won yesterday. Wattimena faces a battle with Noppert for that Dutch number two spot at the World Cup, and it could hinge on this. Wales' number one has a more simple task; win, get to round two, and put on a run in a tournament where he hasn't done massively well before.
The last tie (or three)
Nathan Aspinall has been handed a tough draw in the form of Gabriel Clemens, who sent Rob Cross out of the World Matchplay this summer. The Asp is someone Clemens can consider a role model; from Pro Tour mediocrity, the Stockport star's now at a stage where his game doesn't really have any weaknesses. If the German Giant doesn't find top form from the outset, Aspinall could end this quickly.
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We'll have to wait and see if we get games eight and nine. Chris Dobey's lined up to take on Simon Whitlock, while Jamie Hughes could face Jeffrey de Zwaan. Or they could get byes - which would be a shame, as COVID-19 has already claimed two competitors and the crowd. Even with a call-up coming at such late notice, Whitlock and de Zwaan are very ominous opposition.
World Grand Prix 2020 schedule
Wednesday October 7
18:15 Brendan Dolan vs Kim Huybrechts
18:50 Jonny Clayton vs Ian White
19:25 Dave Chisnall vs Glen Durrant
20:00 Daryl Gurney vs Joe Cullen
20:35 Peter Wright vs Ryan Joyce
21:10 Gerwyn Price vs Jermaine Wattimena
21:45 Nathan Aspinall vs Gabriel Clemens
TBC Chris Dobey vs Simon Whitlock*
TBC Jamie Hughes vs Jeffrey de Zwaan*
*Pending negative COVID-19 tests for Whitlock and De Zwaan. Dobey and Hughes will receive byes if positive tests are returned.
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026