The group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts draws to a close on Tuesday evening when the four groups yet to be completed are finalised inside the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. As ever in this stage of the tournament we have already seen high profile exits and big shocks and another dramatic night awaits us.
All but one match when the full nine legs on Monday evening and there are some close looking matches on the card on Tuesday and with the situation of the four groups in action there is sure to be some nervous and tense dartists taking to the stage.
First Four Matches
It is Group D which gets us underway on Tuesday evening with Mark Webster and Danny Noppert first up. Both will be looking for an emphatic win to boost their qualification chances. They are followed by Daryl Gurney and Darren Webster who will look to confirm their progress through to the last 16.
Group A is on after them which means an early outing on the evening for Michael van Gerwen. He has already made it through to the knockout stage and a win over Joe Murnan will ensure he wins the group too. Murnan is playing purely for pride. One of the big matches of the night comes next when Ross Montgomery takes on Rob Cross in a straight knockout for the other spot.
Later Four Matches
Group C is the third group on show on Tuesday night. That means Robbie Green has a second chance to make it through to the knockout stage when he faces Peter Machin who is out in all but mathematical equation. James Wade and Phil Taylor follow them in the match of the night with Wade knowing a 5-2 win will definitely send him through but depending on the other result he might not need that.
The last group to be completed is Group B and it is Gerwyn Price who has the first chance to enhance his qualification potential. He takes on a Jamie Hughes who has been most disappointing so far in the tournament but has one last chance to show what he is about. Raymond Barneveld and Steve Lennon will close off the night.
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Betting
I’ve not had much luck in this group stage yet so hopefully I’ve saved it all for here as I’m going with three bets. The first of those comes in the Rob Cross against Ross Montgomery match where I think the 180s line is low at 3.5. Cross hasn’t hit the number of 180s he can do yet but with things getting real I expect him to sort that out here. Montgomery hit four 180s in his win over Murnan last time out and if he can put a couple in here this line should be comfortably covered.
Robbie Green has already messed up one chance to progress but I don’t expect lightning to strike twice where that is concerned. He has a great chance against Peter Machin and he goes into that match knowing if he wins 5-2 or better he is definitely into the last 16. Machin hasn’t cut the mustard this week yet so as long as Green pins his doubles I expect him to win with plenty in hand.
I’m going to chance that we see the best of Jamie Hughes in this match and if we do he is overpriced to see off Gerwyn Price. Hughes can relax and play with freedom and that should make him dangerous. We’ve already seen Price miss a lot of doubles this week when he has been under pressure and needing to win to go through here he is clearly under pressure. If Hughes can start well and stay with Price he could sneak him down the stretch in the same way we saw Corey Cadby and Jeffrey de Zwaan do in similar circumstances on Monday.
Tips
WON – Back R.Cross vs R.Montgomery – Over 3.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Bwin
Back it here:
Back R.Green (-1.5 legs) to beat P.Machin for a 5/10 stake at 1.91 with Betbright
Back him here:
WON – Back J.Hughes to beat G.Price for a 3/10 stake at 3.40 with Bet365
Back him here:
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