In the Grand Slam of Darts, Nathan Aspinall had to win big to qualify for the group stage. The decision was made before the end of the game, and Aspinall’s reaction spoke volumes. Meanwhile, Gerwyn Price caused a stir with his comments about the best women in sport.
Nathan Aspinall was allowed to be last. And because the PDC designed the game plan for Monday night’s session in exactly the same way and placed the match against world number one Luke Humphries from the start, the starting position was clear before the first arrow.
Aspinall doesn’t just have to win. He must also do so with a score of 5:2 or better. This is the only way he can overtake former world champion Michael Smith, who earlier beat American Alex Spellman 5-2, and survive the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts.
As if such a game of arithmetic wasn’t enough pressure on Aspinall, his opponent also started the game very well. Humphries immediately played a 10-darter, the best second leg in darts, and secured the one leg he needed to at least advance. Then he followed it up with a finish of 129 to make it 2-0. So Aspinall couldn’t afford to lose another leg early in the match. It’s almost impossible against a player like Humphries.
Aspinall was able to reduce the score to 1:2 from his point of view, but Humphries confidently managed to pass the next throw. 1:3 – it’s all over for Aspinall. The Englishman was clearly disappointed. TV cameras caught her biting her lip, closing her eyes and lowering her head.
The rest of the match didn’t matter, Humphries ultimately won 5-3. “I need the legs to get through, I know that – but it doesn’t affect me. I feel comfortable,” said Humphries after the match. As group winner, he will now face vice world junior champion Jurjen van der Velde in the round of 16.
Greaves in the Premier League? “Joke”
Martin Schindler is also included in Wolverhampton’s 16 best players. A 5-2 win against slow-playing Filipino Alexis Toylo was enough for the German number one to qualify for his first round of 16 in his sixth Grand Slam participation. Schindler now faces Welshman Gerwyn Price. The “Iceman” caused a stir Monday night with statements coming out of the board. Price was asked about his chances of competing in the Premier League – darts’ elite league – next year, as well as the chances of the best woman in the sport, Beau Greaves.
The four best ranked players in the world qualify for the Premier League. There are also four starting places awarded via wildcards by the PDC and the Sky Sports TV channel. In theory, Greaves could be nominated, even though he doesn’t have a ticket for the professional tour until next season. When it comes to wildcards, those in charge often consider not only sporting performance, but also marketing aspects. And here this young Englishwoman may be of interest to the PDC as a driving force in women’s darts.
At the Grand Slam he had narrowly lost his previous two group matches against former world champions Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson despite averaging over 100 points each. But Price would not like the prospect of Greaves’ participation in the Premier League, as he explained. The whispers were a “joke”.
Price himself is eleventh in the outright rankings, so he should hope to get a Premier League wildcard without having to make a long run at the World Cup (December 11 to January 3). “I’m one of the best players this season. I’m number one in the Pro Tour rankings, top five or six in terms of prize money earned. Don’t ask me, ask someone else,” he said.
Tonight, two more Germans, Lukas Wenig and Niko Springer, will conclude their group stage at the Grand Slam. For Wenig, a head-to-head duel with England’s Cam Crabtree is around the round of 16 – the winner advances. Springer has secured the knockout stage, for him the most important thing is winning the group against Greaves.
Luca Wiecek is the sports editor for WELT. His final individual in the Berlin Darts League was for his team VfD Berlin Rocket won 3-0.
