Danny Noppert, Damon Heta, Ryan Searle, Stephen Bunting and Brendan Dolan among Grand Slam of Darts qualifiers; Next up on the Sky Sports Darts calendar is the seventeenth staging of the event from 11-19 November at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton
Friday 3 November 2023 16:22, UK
Danny Noppert, Damon Heta and Ryan Searle came through qualifying to reach the Grand Slam of Darts but Raymond van Barneveld and Dimitri Van den Bergh both missed out.
There were 101 players in action at the Barnsley Metrodome, with eight spots still available in this month's £650,000 event at WV Active Aldersley from November 11-19 in Wolverhampton - live on Sky Sports.
Top seed Noppert was joined by Heta, Searle, Stephen Bunting, Brendan Dolan, Nathan Rafferty, Steve Lennon and Martijn Kleermaker.
However, this year's tournament will be missing 2012 champion Van Barneveld, 2020 winner Jose de Sousa, Van den Bergh, Ross Smith, Daryl Gurney and German duo Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler.
World No 7 Noppert - a winner of two Players Championship titles in 2023 - was the highest-ranked player in action in Barnsley, and he navigated his way through the field to seal a fifth Grand Slam appearance.
Noppert will be joined in Wolverhampton by Australian No 1 Heta, who averaged 103 to edge out a spirited Connor Scutt in their decisive last-16 showdown.
Stephen Bunting fired in a sensational 111.06 average to dispatch Schindler and confirm his return, having averaged 98 and 101 in earlier wins over Luc Peters and Arron Monk.
Ryan Searle recovered from 4-1 down to deny Rowby-John Rodriguez in a dramatic last-16 contest, while Ireland's Steve Lennon averaged 106 in his last-16 success against James Wilson to make it through.
Reigning champion Michael Smith will headline this year's star-studded 32-player field, which also includes three-time winners Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price, as the sport's biggest names battle it out for the coveted Eric Bristow Trophy.
World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall - the runner-up to Smith last year - will also feature alongside World Grand Prix champion Luke Humphries and newly crowned European Champion Peter Wright.
The draw for the Grand Slam of Darts will be held on Monday, November 6.
2023 Grand Slam of Darts
Qualifying Players
Invited in the following order
TV Event Finalists, then European Tour Winners, then Players Championship winners (up to 16)
Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen
Nathan Aspinall
Luke Humphries
Chris Dobey
Andrew Gilding
Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price
Jonny Clayton
Rob Cross
James Wade
Gary Anderson
Dave Chisnall
Krzysztof Ratajski
Ricardo Pietreczko
Dirk van Duijvenbode
PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier
Danny Noppert
Damon Heta
Ryan Searle
Stephen Bunting
Brendan Dolan
Nathan Rafferty
Steve Lennon
Martijn Kleermaker
Additional Qualifiers
Josh Rock - 2022 World Youth Champion
Nathan Girvan - 2022 World Youth Championship runner-up
Berry van Peer - 2023 Challenge Tour Order of Merit winner
Gian van Veen - 2023 Development Tour Order of Merit winner
Beau Greaves - 2023 Women's World Matchplay winner
Fallon Sherrock - 2023 Women's Series Order of Merit qualifier
Haruki Muramatsu - 2023 PDC Asian Championship winner
Stowe Buntz - 2023 CDC Continental Cup winner
Watch the seventeenth staging of the Grand Slam of Darts from 11-19 November at the Aldersley Leisure Village. Stream your favourite sports and more with NOW
