Raymond van Barneveld was the big winner at the Grand Slam of Darts on Monday
Tuesday 10 November 2015 08:24, UK
Raymond van Barneveld edged into the knockout stage of the Grand Slam of Darts with a tight victory in his winner-takes-all clash against Larry Butler.
The Dutchman won 5-3 in Wolverhampton in the final match of Monday night as they battled to secure the runners-up spot in Group E behind Gary Anderson.
A lacklustre start from Barney threatened a shock exit but, with his back against the wall, he recorded back-to-back checkouts of 84 and 70 to seal qualification.
At 3-3, Butler was edging towards a break of throw until Van Barneveld checked out from nowhere. He then broke Butler's throw to end the match in victory.
Barney followed Anderson out of the group, who won his third straight game with a 5-1 breeze against Andy Boulton.
Phil Taylor confirmed top spot in Group H with a 5-2 win against Rowby-John Rodriguez.
The 21-year-old needed a win by the same scoreline to keep his own hopes alive but, when an early mistake was punished by Taylor, all hope was lost.
At 1-1, Rodriguez wasted a chance to break throw by busting his own effort - then trailing 3-1, he missed a checkout chance and Taylor pounced again.
'The Power' will play Terry Jenkins in the second round after the Welshman confirmed qualification from Group G despite defeat.
Jenkins was beaten 5-4 by Robert Thornton in a back-and-forth tussle where both players missed darts to win the contest.
Thornton was 4-2 down but broke Jenkins' throw and came roaring from behind to confirm a tie against Robbie Green in the next round.
Green defeated Martin Phillips 5-1 earlier in the night but needed to wait for Rodriguez's loss to Taylor before he was guaranteed second-place in their group.
James Wade overpowered Keegan Brown 5-2 to end the youngster's hopes of qualification.
The 23-year-old required a 5-3 win to sneak second-place in Group F, or 5-4 to book a shoot-out against Mark Webster. In the end, neither looked likely as Wade marched onto his third straight win.
A run of three breaks in a row was ended when Wade hit bullseye to go 4-2 up before closing the show to eliminate Brown and gift Webster, who was waiting nervously after beating Michel van der Horst 5-3, a place in the next round.
Geert De Vos won a whitewash in Monday's opener against Jonny Clayton although both players were eliminated anyway.
Second round matches
Gary Anderson v Mark Webster
James Wade v Raymond van Barneveld
Robert Thornton v Robbie Green
Phil Taylor v Terry Jenkins
Watch the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts conclude on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD at 7pm.
