Grand Slam of Darts - Report Day 2, Evening

QUARTET REMAIN UNBEATEN AFTER SECOND WILLIAM HILL GRAND SLAM OF DARTS GAMES
Phil Taylor, Simon Whitlock, Michael van Gerwen and Mervyn King put one foot into the second round of the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts with their second wins of the tournament on Sunday night, as 2010 champion Scott Waites reignited his challenge in Wolverhampton.

Reigning champion Taylor followed up Saturday's Group A win over Co Stompe at the Wolves Civic with a 5-2 win against Mark Webster 24 hours later. The 15-time World Champion took out 108 as he won three of the first four legs to take command against the Welsh left-hander, before punishing four misses from Webster to seal victory with double 14.
"It was a difficult game tonight and I'm happy with that," said Taylor. "Mark could have taken advantage of me there but he missed a couple of doubles. "I'm not going to go up there on Tuesday thinking that I'm through, because I'm not, and I'll practice hard and get ready to play Scott on Tuesday. I'll try put him under pressure from the beginning because he's got to win."
Taylor will qualify for the second round should he win three legs on Tuesday against 2010 Grand Slam champion Scott Waites, who bounced back from Saturday's loss to Webster with a superb performance to see off Stompe with a 103 average.
"It was quite good tonight and it was a nice win," said Waites. "Tonight I got off to a good start and then kept it going, which was really good. "You've got more of a chance of beating Phil Taylor over a short format and I'm looking forward to our game on Tuesday, and hopefully I can get an upset."

Australian ace Whitlock, the European Champion, won his second successive Group C game, although he was pushed all the way by Kevin Painter before edging a 5-4 victory. Painter hit back from two legs down to level before the pair traded legs through to a decider, but the Englishman crucially missed a dart at double eight for the match - which would have seen him qualify for the last 16 - as Whitlock stepped in to land double four.
"Kevin's very tough to play, he's a very good player and that was too close for my liking!" said Whitlock, who now plays Dean Winstanley on Tuesday night. "Luckily he missed the 96 and I got another shot, but I'm still not safe. I know I've got to have a good game on Tuesday against Dean, and if I don't win I need to at least get close to get through."

Winstanley was in superb finishing form as he hit five doubles from as many attempts as he overcame World Youth Champion James Hubbard 5-2.
"That's put me back in the race!" said Winstanley. "We both knew we had to win this game to give us a shout and I'll fight right to the end. "I love it up on that stage but I'm too soft and I need to be more aggressive, in a nice way. Playing Simon could bring that out of me, because he a fantastic player and we've had three good games this year and he's 2-1 up - so far!"

World Grand Prix champion Michael van Gerwen, meanwhile, remains unbeaten in Group B after defeating Robert Thornton 5-3 in their contest, with the UK Open winner pulling back from 3-0 down to level before the Dutchman sealed the win.
"I started very well but missed three darts to lead 4-0 and a missed a few more doubles after that and made it hard for myself," said van Gerwen, who now plays Ted Hankey on Tuesday needing just two legs to qualify for the knockout stage. "I'm very happy I won and I'm glad I've got two out of two. It's a big step for me and I can concentrate now on Tuesday night."

Hankey bounced back from Saturday's loss to Thornton with a superb 5-3 win over Steve Beaton, hitting a 161 checkout and four 180s in a strong display.
"That's the first time in 25 years that I've beaten Steve but I went up there and just played darts," said Hankey. "I'm really grateful for some support I got from some fellow players last night who told me to go up there and play my natural game. "I'm so happy because I think I've found the rhythm I need to push me on not just for this week but also for the next 12 months. "I've been trying to do things to upset players, slow them down or manipulate them, but I've found my natural rhythm and I think that can get me to where I want to be."

Mervyn King, last month's World Grand Prix runner-up, remains unbeaten following two games in Group D, after defeating former World Youth Champion Arron Monk 5-3 and now needs just three legs from his third group game, against James Wade, to qualify.
"It wasn't my best performance but it was workmanlike and I knew Arron was hungry for it," said King. "He kept coming back at me and eventually I shook him off, but it took a 12-darter to do it! "I'll be looking to get as many legs against James as I can. If I can get five, then great, if not then I hope it's four, but I'm looking for the win."

2010 runner-up Wade now plays King in their final round-robin game, after the PDC world number three defeated Holland's Jan Dekker 5-1 in their second game of the league stage.
"I'm pleased to have got the job done tonight and to get two points on the board," said Wade, the PDC world number three. "The performance tonight wasn't a million miles away from I can do, and I really enjoyed it."







Contact © Global Darts. All Rights Reserved. Impressum