VAN GERWEN TO MEET WEBSTER AS SINGHA BEER GRAND SLAM OF DARTS KICKS OFF
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will take on Darren Webster when the SINGHA Beer Grand Slam of Darts kicks off at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Saturday afternoon, with the opening day's fixtures and schedule confirmed.
World number one van Gerwen, the reigning PDC World Champion and top seed for the £400,000 event, will head the four players in Group A during the round-robin phase of the Grand Slam.
The Dutchman will begin his challenge at the Wolves Civic against Norfolk's Darren Webster, a Wildcard Qualifier, in the sixth of eight games to be played on Saturday afternoon's opening session.
Their Group A rivals Kim Huybrechts and Jan Dekker will open the tournament, before 2010 Grand Slam winner Scott Waites, a former Lakeside Champion, faces nine-time major finalist Terry Jenkins in Group B.
The clash between Robert Thornton, last year's beaten finalist, and Vincent van der Voort follows before debutant Alan Norris - the 2014 Lakeside Championship finalist - takes on Belgium's Ronny Huybrechts, the older brother of Kim.
2013 World Grand Prix finalist Dave Chisnall then faces World Youth Champion Keegan Brown before van Gerwen's duel with Webster, with 2012 Grand Slam of Darts winner Raymond van Barneveld then playing Robbie Green before two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis meets Austria's Rowby-John Rodriguez.
Reigning champion Phil Taylor will be in action during Saturday's evening session, as he plays Richie George - the former Lakeside Championship semi-finalist and son of Bobby George - in the sixth of eight games.
Their Group E rivals Andy Hamilton, the 2007 Grand Slam of Darts runner-up, and former Lakeside Champion Christian Kist will open the evening session, before 2014 Lakeside Champion Stephen Bunting meets Holland's Wesley Harms.
Last weekend's Masters runner-up Mervyn King then plays Tony O'Shea before World Championship finalist Peter Wright's meeting with Brendan Dolan and Gary Anderson's clash with Dean Winstanley.
Taylor's game with George will then be followed by former European Champion Simon Whitlock up against 2013 World Youth Champion Michael Smith, before last weekend's Masters champion James Wade takes on Wildcard Qualifier Jamie Caven.
Sunday's two sessions will see Saturday's respective winners and losers in each group face each other, with Groups A-D completing their round-robin phase on Monday and Groups E-H ending their games on Tuesday night.
The top two players from each group will then progress to compete in the knockout phase, which will take place from the Last 16 onwards.
Tickets for the SINGHA Beer Grand Slam of Darts are still available from the Wolves Civic Box Office on 0870 320 7000 or via www.wolvescivic.co.uk, although some sessions have already sold out.
SINGHA Beer Grand Slam of Darts
Schedule of Play
Saturday November 8
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Groups A-D First Matches
Kim Huybrechts v Jan Dekker (A)
Scott Waites v Terry Jenkins (B)
Robert Thornton v Vincent van der Voort (D)
Alan Norris v Ronny Huybrechts (B)
Dave Chisnall v Keegan Brown (C)
Michael van Gerwen v Darren Webster (A)
Raymond van Barneveld v Robbie Green (D)
Adrian Lewis v Rowby-John Rodriguez (C)
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Groups E-H First Matches
Andy Hamilton v Christian Kist (E)
Stephen Bunting v Wesley Harms (H)
Mervyn King v Tony O'Shea (G)
Peter Wright v Brendan Dolan (F)
Gary Anderson v Dean Winstanley (H)
Phil Taylor v Richie George (E)
Simon Whitlock v Michael Smith (F)
James Wade v Jamie Caven (G)
Sunday November 9
Afternoon Session (1.30pm-5.30pm)
Groups A-D Second Matches
Saturday's winning players face each other, and the losing players face each other.
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Groups E-H Second Matches
Saturday's winning players face each other, and the losing players face each other.
Monday November 10 (7pm-11pm)
Groups A-D Final Matches
Tuesday November 11 (7pm-11pm)
Groups E-H Final Matches
Wednesday November 12 (7pm-11pm)
4x Second Round Matches
Thursday November 13 (7pm-11pm)
4x Second Round Matches
Friday November 14 (7pm-11pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
Saturday November 15 (7pm-11pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
Sunday November 16
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Semi-Finals
Evening Session (7pm-9pm)
Final
The schedule of play for Sunday November 9 onwards will be confirmed on www.pdc.tv once finalised, following the completion of the relevant previous session.
Format
Group Matches - Best of nine legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 31 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 31 legs
Final - Best of 31 legs
There is no tie-break in any game.
The top two players from each group progress to the knockout phase from the Second Round onwards.
In the Group Stage, two points are awarded for a win. Any ties for places in each Group will be split by Points Won and then Leg Difference, with the potential for a Nine-Dart Shoot-Out should two or more players be tied for Points and Leg Difference.
Prize Fund
Winner £100,000
Runner-Up £50,000
Semi-Final Losers £25,000
Quarter-Final Losers £15,000
Second Round Losers £7,500
Group Winner's Bonus £2,500
Third Place in Group £5,000
Fourth Place in Group £2,500
Total £400,000