Taylor and MVG sail through as former electrician Cross continues his fairytale debut season
Friday 17 November 2017 06:13, UK
Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor marched into the Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals, but Rob Cross ended the hopes of Raymond van Barneveld at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Thursday.
Cross' sensational debut year continued with perhaps the biggest win of his career, beating the 2012 champion and five-time world champion 10-7 to set up another showdown with Van Gerwen, who was too strong for Steve Lennon.
'Voltage' missed two darts to beat MvG in the group stage, and has lost in three finals to the brilliant Dutchman over the last few weeks but he will get another crack when the pair clash in the last eight.
Cross' brilliant year, that has seen him rise to No 24 in the world and claim four Pro Tour titles, will reach the second weekend in Wolverhampton after he edged a thrilling see-saw contest with Barney. The former electrician reeled off the final four legs of the night to go with an average of just under 104 to advance.
Van Gerwen overcame a below-par start to end the hopes of Irish qualifier Lennon with a dominant display that included a blistering 10-dart leg and eight 180s on his way to a 10-3 victory.
Taylor, playing for the final time in a tournament he has won on six occasions, averaged over 100 in a ruthless display that was too much for Webster, before setting his sights on Daryl Gurney who he will face in the last eight.
'Superchin' was too strong for an out-of-sorts James Wade who averaged just 90, and his contest with Taylor will be one to watch after the Power's post-match comments.
On the oche Cross was the major story, ending the hopes of Van Barneveld in the pick of the evening's action with a brilliant 10-7 victory.
The pair traded breaks throughout, Barney pinning a best-of-the-night 167 early on only to see a brilliant 104 from Cross in the seventh leg get the match back on level terms.
Trailing 6-4 at the second interval, Van Barneveld found his groove with three legs in succession to stand three legs from the match, but Cross showed little regard for his inexperience on the TV stage to produce a burst that would have made Barney in his pomp proud.
Four legs in succession from 'Voltage' saw him into the last eight and it will be the familiar form of Van Gerwen next for Cross, who has lost to the brilliant Dutchman at the World Series of Darts and the European Championship as well as last Sunday.
Van Gerwen was too strong for Lennon, the biggest surprise in the knockout stage - the Dutchman took a couple of legs to assess his unfamiliar foe before going through the gears.
Three 11-dart legs and three 14-dart legs broke Lennon's challenge and Van Gerwen powered over the finishing line to continue his winning run.
The world No 1 is unbeaten since his shock Grand Prix defeat to John Henderson, winning the European Championship and World Series of Darts, and he continued that ominous form.
One man who is no stranger to the big prizes is 'The Power' and Taylor's hopes of a second major of the year following success at the Matchplay remain alive.
Despite trailing considerably in the first-session averages, Webster managed to stay in touch to trail 3-2 at the first break with 'The Power' two darts away from a nine-dart finish in the second leg of the match.
That was the closest anyone came to a break with Webster punishing Taylor's missed darts - but 'The Power' pounced in the sixth leg for the first break of the contest.
Webster refused to go away and took every chance that came his way, cleaning up 62 to close to within two legs at 5-3.
'The Demolition Man' went off with six perfect darts in the next leg as he threatened to get the break back. But as Webster wavered, 'The Power' moved in to take out 120 and then struck for a break and a 7-3 lead.
In the opening match of the evening, a six-leg burst from Gurney was enough to put him in control and on the way to another major quarter-final.
'Superchin' took out the first leg in ruthless fashion and that was the signpost for the rest of the match with Wade claiming the first on his own throw proving a small blip for the man from Derry.
A clinical double 16 handed Gurney a 4-1 lead at the first interval and he added a fifth after the break when Wade missed a dart for 141.
'The Machine' finally halted Gurney's run of consecutive legs at six, finding a brilliant 14-darter with a tidy 70 check-out to break Gurney's throw for the first time in the match.
But Gurney ensured a second successive 4-1 session by pinning double top to lead 8-2, before returning to wrap up the match despite a scrappy end that saw him miss five-match darts before returning to seal the match on double one.
The Grand Slam of Darts continues on Sky Sports this week with the first two quarter-final matches on Sky Sports Action on Friday from 7pm
Keep up to date with the news as the tungsten enters its busiest time of year with the PDC World Championships just around the corner get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts
