Phil Taylor will face two-time Lakeside world champion Ted Hankey in a tough group in the Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts.
Power plays former Lakeside champion Hankey in Wolverhampton
Phil Taylor will face two-time Lakeside world champion Ted Hankey in a tough group in the Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts.
15-time world champion Taylor is the defending champion in Wolverhampton, but faces a difficult first stage with the in-form Wes Newton joining Group H alongside Dutch hot-shot Michael van Gerwen.
'The Count' and fellow Stoke thrower Taylor were both world champions going into last year's event, but Hankey failed to get through the first round, and he will be hoping for better this time around.
'The Power' will open up his defence against World Under-21 finalist Van Gerwen on Sunday, while Hankey has to face the in-form man in the PDC in Newton, who won three events last weekend including the qualifier for the event.
The Grand Slam begins on Saturday evening with the first games from Groups A-D, which will include the meeting of Simon Whitlock and Dave Chisnall - who lost in the PDC World Championship final and Lakeside Championship final respectively in January.
Scottish stars
Colin Osborne and Robert Thornton complete Group A, while Gary Anderson, Wolverhampton's Wayne Jones, Mark Webster and Mark Hylton - another qualifier - form Group B.
PDC Unicorn Women's World Champion Stacy Bromberg was drawn in Group C alongside number seven seed Mervyn King, 2008 Grand Slam runner-up Terry Jenkins and Scottish debutant John Henderson.
World number two James Wade, who hit a nine-dart finish in the 2008 Grand Slam, heads up Group D and will come up against Vincent van der Voort, Stockport's Tony O'Shea and the other qualifier, Rugeley's Mark Hylton.
The remaining four groups will play their opening games on Sunday afternoon, and Group E will feature number five seed Adrian Lewis, alongside last year's Grand Slam runner-up Scott Waites, Co Stompe and Wales' Martin Phillips.
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, Colin Lloyd, Darryl Fitton and Tricia Wright - the Women's World Championship finalist - will form Group F.
Players champ
Group G is headed by number eight seed Paul Nicholson, who won January's Players Championship Finals to claim his maiden major title, and also features Ronnie Baxter, Steve Beaton and Arron Monk - the 20-year-old from Hampshire who joins van Gerwen in the Under-21 World Championship Final in January.
Groups A-D will play their second games on Sunday night and their final round-robin contests on Tuesday, with Groups E-H competing on Sunday afternoon, Monday night and Wednesday night at the Wolves Civic.
