Grand Slam of Darts predictions by Martin 'Wolfie' Adams, Wayne Mardle, Dave Clark, Rod Studd
Tuesday 15 November 2016 10:23, UK
Who's going to win the Grand Slam of Darts? We asked our panel of experts what to expect...
Live Grand Slam of Darts
Do you see any potential shock results?
Dave Clark: It will be interesting to see how Gary Anderson gets on in this tournament as he is going to be wearing his glasses and using new, shorter darts.
He plays Glen Durrant and that is a potential shock. In these shorter formats, where it is the best-of-nine legs, anything could happen. Anderson could come under a bit of pressure.
Michael Van Gerwen could easily lose to Martin Adams over nine legs. Don’t get me wrong, it’s unlikely – but it’s more likely than over a best-of-19 match. We know that you don’t take Martin lightly.
Martin 'Wolfie' Adams: We all have our bad days. You've seen that with the Grand Prix. Someone you might expect to win, this time round he's lost. A bad day at the office, so you shrug your shoulders, put it behind you, and move on.
Rod Studd: The world champion Gary Anderson might not have it easy. He's got the great Alan 'Chuck' Norris who's a great scorer, and finishes well. He's also got Durrant. That's a tough group for Gary - he's still experimenting with his glasses so might not be at his best.
Who's your dark horse?
Wayne Mardle: Danny Noppert can be absolutely mind-blowing on his day, he's brilliant. Earlier in the season he was winning ranking titles like he was eating his dinner out of the microwave, it was so simple for him. I'm looking forward to seeing him.
Mensur Suljovic is the seventh seed and he has been playing brilliantly on the circuit, he’s a potential champion here.
Rod Studd: Durrant is the ace in the pack for the BDO, he's a very good player. He would start as the favourite in the BDO world championship. I'm sure he's looking forward to playing in this competition because, as Scott Waites showed, it's a real chance to showcase your ability. You can really raise your profile if you knock off the big boys of the PDC - it's a feather in the cap. He'll relish playing Anderson.
Million dollar question: who will win the Grand Slam of Darts?
Rod Studd: Michael van Gerwen is odds-on, he's winning more than half the tournaments that he's in. He's winning almost every week. If you ask everybody who's ever seen a dart thrown 'who's going win the Grand Slam?' they will all say Van Gerwen.
I'm trying to look beyond the obvious, in the other half of the draw - James Wade does well in the long format, and should have won this when he capsized against Waites. Adrian Lewis might not be far off - if he can click for eight or nine days, he can be a threat. Van Gerwen is the most likely, though.
I fancy Dave Chisnall. I’d be surprised if he didn’t come through the group, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t beat the winner or runner-up from Group H. That puts him in the quarter-finals – Anderson, who he might play, is in transition. Chizzy is away from Van Gerwen and Phil Taylor, who are in the other half of the draw. He is my fancy.
Martin 'Wolfie' Adams: It will be nice if one of us did win it. I was with Waites last week and he's up for winning it again, that's for sure. He always seems to do well in Wolverhampton and is looking forward to going back to the venue and hopefully repeating his success.
Dave Clark: He is unstoppable at the moment, Van Gerwen. No 1 seed, 24 titles this year alone, it would take a massive force to stop him. He is in great form at the moment and I think he is going to win it.
Watch the Grand Slam of Darts live on Sky Sports between November 12-20.
