HOME HOPE JONES TO OPEN UP WILLIAM HILL GRAND SLAM OF DARTS
WOLVERHAMPTON favourite Wayne Jones will open the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts on Saturday night when the £400,000 tournament kicks off at the Wolves Civic.
The 32-player tournament begins at 8pm on Saturday night with eight group matches from Groups A-D being held in front of a sell-out crowd.
Jones, whose run to the semi-finals of last year^s Grand Slam of Darts saw the town unite in support of their local professional, will take on World Grand Prix runner-up Brendan Dolan in the tournament^s opening game.
Mark Walsh meets Tony O^Shea before debutant Dean Winstanley faces two-time World Champion Ted Hankey in the night^s third game.
Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld plays another newcomer, Stoke^s Ian White, in game four before 2010 Grand Slam of Darts runner-up James Wade plays Dave Chisnall.
Reigning champion Scott Waites then takes to the stage against Michael van Gerwen, Premier League Darts winner Gary Anderson meets Wildcard Qualifier Nigel Heydon and former finalist Terry Jenkins plays Justin Pipe in the final game of the opening night.
Sunday^s afternoon session sees Groups E-H enter the fray, and opens with a Group F double-header as Paul Nicholson plays Barrie Bates and Wes Newton faces Sweden^s Magnus Caris.
Mark Webster plays Arron Monk in the third game and Vincent van der Voort meets Co Stompe in an all-Dutch affair before two matches from Group E take place, as Mervyn King plays 2010 semi-finalist Steve Beaton and three-time Grand Slam of Darts champion Phil Taylor places 19-year-old debutant James Hubbard.
Reigning PDC World Champion Adrian Lewis takes on Martin Phillips before Dutch debutant Jan Dekker plays Canada^s John Part in the afternoon^s final game.
The Sunday evening session will see Groups A-D play their second games, with Saturday^s winners playing each other and the losers also facing off, with their final group game coming on Tuesday.
Groups E-H play their second games on Monday night and their third group games on Wednesday night, before the top two players from each group progress to compete in the knockout stages from Thursday onwards.
The Grand Slam of Darts^ group stages feature the prospect of a unique nine-dart shoot-out should players in a certain group be tied on both points won and leg difference at the end of the round-robin phase - with the tied players doing battle for the highest score over nine darts for a place in the last 16.
Tickets for the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts remain on sale from the Wolves Civic Box Office in person or on 0870 320 7000.
William Hill Grand Slam of Darts Schedule of Play
Saturday November 12 8pm-12am
Groups A-D First Games
Wayne Jones v Brendan Dolan (C)
Mark Walsh v Tony O^Shea (A)
Dean Winstanley v Ted Hankey (B)
Raymond van Barneveld v Ian White (D)
James Wade v Dave Chisnall (B)
Scott Waites v Michael van Gerwen (A)
Gary Anderson v Nigel Heydon (C)
Terry Jenkins v Justin Pipe (D)
Sunday November 13
Afternoon Session - 2pm-6pm
Groups E-H First Games
Paul Nicholson v Barrie Bates (F)
Wes Newton v Magnus Caris (F)
Mark Webster v Arron Monk (G)
Vincent van der Voort v Co Stompe (H)
Mervyn King v Steve Beaton (E)
Phil Taylor v James Hubbard (E)
Adrian Lewis v Martin Phillips (H)
Jan Dekker v John Part (G)
Evening Session - 8pm-12am
Groups A-D Second Games
The winners of Saturday^s games will play each other, and the losers will play each other.
Monday November 14
7pm-11pm
Groups E-H Second Games
The winners of Sunday afternoon^s games will play each other, and the losers will play each other.
Tuesday November 15
7pm-11pm
Groups A-D Final Games