The Grand Slam

Posted: 07.11.14 in Tournament Analysis Blog category

We take a look at the BDO v PDC in the first half of the Grand Slam draw.

It’s a big weekend of darts, that continues on into next week! The BDO (well most of the players anyway) are at The Northern Ireland Open. We went along to this event a couple of years ago. It was a tremendous experience!

Look out for Robyn Byrne in the Ladies event. Robyn was recently crowned as the Girls Winmau World Master. She will be flexing her shiny new Performance Darts and will take some stopping, she is a very fine young player!

This year we are not off to Northern Ireland but to the Hampshire County Autumn Darts Festival. 500 players will descend on Hayling Island and the Mill Rythe holiday complex for a few games of darts and whatever else dartplayers do at these events! It is a tremendous tournament, mainly grassroots players having a great time! That’s what darts is all about!

Then we also have the Grand Slam from Wolverhampton. A proper PDC tournament and a welcome relief from events such as the Edinburgh Masters! One question about that event Mr PDC-why?

Anyway the Grand Slam is one of my favourite on the calendar! It pits the BDO v PDC. That is its unique selling point! One BDO player, Scotty Waites had the cheek to win the thing in 2010, that came as quite a shock to some of the more hardened PDC fans. This year, Alan Norris, Lakeside runner up in 2014 has been seeded 8.

Will a BDO player win it this year? No they won’t but there are some high quality players involved and probably qualification from the group should be the first target Team BDO set themselves. So who from the BDO can hit that goal?

We will take a look at the first four groups and the rest tomorrow!

Group A and qualification from the group odds – 2 go through

BDO: Jan Dekker (7/2) is in with MVG (1/33), Kim Huybrechts (8/13) and Darren Webster (2/1)

Jan surprised me with a new “steely” approach at Lakeside and has picked up ranking points throughout the year. He is capable of beating an “out of sorts” Huybrechts and he plays him first. Webster is a tricky opponent and he also has MVG in his group. Jan may be getting his coat after the group stage!

Group B BDO Alan Norris (Evens) Scott Waites (7/2) v Terry Jenkins (1/3) Ronny Huybrechts (11/4)

Norris can go through. Scotty has had a few injury issues and Ronny is a great player but can flounder when it comes to that double bit at the end! The Bull is the rightful favourite but even money for Al to qualify will find its way into a few accumulators I reckon.

Group C No BDO player Adrian Lewis (1/8) Dave Chisnall (1/3) Keegan Brown (4/1) and Rowby-John Rodriguez (3/1)

Horrendous odds for two of the PDC’s best players but both with that streak of inconsistency that would render anyone insane if they backed Jackpot or Chizzy at those odds. The bookies look at World Youth Champion Keegan Brown and runner up, Austrian rising star Rowby – John Rodriguez as little threat, we will see.

Group D BDO Robbie Green (9/2) v Raymond Van Barneveld (1/4) Robert Thornton (2/5) Vincent Van Der Voort (9/4)

On his day Green could beat all these players, he smashes in some amazing averages, but can he peak three times against such high quality opposition? At a best price 9/2 the bookies don’t think so.

The action from these four groups kicks off on Saturday afternoon:

Saturday November 8
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Groups A-D First Matches and odds
Kim Huybrechts (7/15) v Jan Dekker (2/1)
Scott Waites (6/4) v Terry Jenkins (4/6)
Robert Thornton (8/15) v Vincent van der Voort (13/8)
Alan Norris (8/11) v Ronny Huybrechts (6/4)
Dave Chisnall (1/3) v Keegan Brown (11/4)
Michael van Gerwen (1/6) v Darren Webster (5/1))
Raymond van Barneveld (4/11) v Robbie Green (5/2)

Adrian Lewis (1/4) v Rowby-John Rodriguez (7/2) 

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