Rob Cross made it through with his victory over Peter Wright; James Wade finished top of Group A; Beau Greaves finished her Grand Slam on a high with a 5-1 victory over Cameron Menzies; watch the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton until November 17 - live on Sky Sports
Tuesday 12 November 2024 10:06, UK
James Wade secured top spot in Group A and booked his spot in the last 16 at the Grand Slam of Darts with a 5-1 victory over Rowby-John Rodriguez.
Wade and Rodriguez were in a straight shootout to make it into the last 16, with Wade's victory over Luke Humphries meaning everything pinned on this clash.
Two early breaks of throw gave the three-time finalist the momentum and Wade sealed the deal on a 121 checkout.
"You should have doubted me by that performance, I was really lucky. The kid didn't play very well and I don't mean that in a condescending way," Wade told Sky Sports.
"I'm really happy, I got lucky, I caught him when he wasn't playing well. I'm looking forward to the next one."
Rob Cross was the other big name to secure his spot in the last 16 with his 5-1 win over Peter Wright.
Fourth seed Cross needed two legs to get through and picked the second up on D16 before rattling through three legs on the bounce to wrap up a comprehensive victory.
Despite securing a huge win, Cross was more focused on Wright's struggles and admitted he would love to see him return to his former glory.
"It wasn't too bad. I'm playing a legend of the game. He's not at his best, I love it when he's at his best. I expected a little bit more tonight and never got it, he would probably admit that. I hope he does come back and rebuild," Cross told Sky Sports.
"This isn't about me really. I don't like seeing people suffering. I felt for him. I knew I had to do the business but tonight even I wasn't there. It's great, I'm through, but he's a great guy and deserves a lot more."
Meanwhile, Beau Greaves sent the Wolverhampton crowd into a frenzy as she cruised to a 5-1 victory over Cameron Menzies to end her Grand Slam 2024 on a high.
Although unable to qualify for the last 16 she influenced the group and gave Menzies a nervous wait to see if Martin Schindler picked up the three legs he needed to take the final spot in the last 16 off him.
However, Schindler missed two darts to seal the leg that would have sent him through and so his 5-2 loss to Group B topper Danny Noppert saw the Scotsman pick up the second spot in the last 16.
Reigning champion Luke Humphries showed the form that has been missing during this Grand Slam in a 5-1 dismantling of Mickey Mansell in Group A.
Mansell, who was already through to the last 16 before the clash after beating Wade and Rodriguez, was broken twice, 100 and 135 checkouts showing glimpses of the sensational play we have come to expect from the world no 1.
Martin Lukeman is through to the knockout stages after a 5-3 win over Leonard Gates.
Lukeman needed one leg to secure his last 16 spot and he sealed it in style with a 123 checkout in the opening leg of the match.
Gates fought back to 4-3 down, getting seven darts into a nine-darter on the way, but Lukeman ultimately took the victory with a 103 average.
Ross Smith was in the zone and made sure to make it out of Group D with a dominant 5-0 whitewash win over Connor Scutt in a straight shootout for the spot.
Scutt struggled on the doubles throughout, two breaks of throw seeing Smith through to the next round.
Ritchie Edhouse made it a clean sweep in Group D with a 5-2 victory over Dave Chisnall.
Edhouse was hitting 180s for fun, a brilliant 148 checkout under pressure helping him get an unassailable lead.
When the knockout stages kick off from Wednesday evening, James Wade will face Cameron Menzies, Rob Cross will play Ritchie Edhouse, Danny Noppert will play Mickey Mansell, and Martin Lukeman will play Ross Smith.
The Grand Slam of Darts continues on Tuesday November 12 with eight more matches coming your way as we find out who the other eight players are in the last 16, the likes of Michael Smith, Luke Littler, Gary Anderson, and Michael van Gerwen in action.
You can watch live on Sky Sports+ and Main Event from 7pm.
