Grand Slam of Darts 2021: Free darts betting tips and group-by-group preview for the Sky Sports-televised major in Wolverhampton

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Darts betting tips: Grand Slam of Darts

2pts Jonny Clayton to win the Grand Slam of Darts at 6/1 (Sky Bet)

1pt e.w Krzysztof Ratajski to win the Grand Slam of Darts at 28/1 (General 1/2 1,2)

1pt e.w Chris Dobey to win the Grand Slam of Darts at 35/1 (Paddy Power 1/2 1,2)

1pt Martin Schindler to qualify from Group A and Luke Humphries to win Group F at 7/1 (Sky Bet)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

The Grand Slam of Darts is back in its traditional home of Wolverhampton after the behind-closed-doors visit to Coventry 12 months ago, when Jose de Sousa became Portugal's first major winner.

Since then he's gone on to win four more Pro Tour titles, climb up to seven in the rankings and smash 180 records galore during his maiden Premier League campaign but it's the player he lost to in that final, JONNY CLAYTON, who arrives here as arguably the best player in the world based on 2021 form.

The sensational Ferret has won more individual titles than anyone else this season with six and more importantly four of them have been televised at the Masters, Premier League, World Grand Prix and the recent World Series of Darts Finals.

Sure, the latter can be considered as a glorified exhibition but he once again put world champion Gerwyn Price in his growing shadow en route to glory in a classic quarter-final having also defeated him with a mesmerising display in the final of the double-start World Grand Prix to capture his first ranking TV title last month.

Clayton, who also defied the Amsterdam crowd to put Michael van Gerwen to the sword in the semi-finals before cruising past Dimitri Van den Bergh by the same 11-6 scoreline, is surprisingly 6/1 third favourite for the Grand Slam crown behind Price (10/3) and MVG (7/2) so for that reason you have to say he represents value.

• CLICK HERE to back Clayton with Sky Bet

His levels in all areas of his game have been fantastic this season and even during his title-less Super Series campaign last week, he still posted five 100+ averages in 11 matches, including a 101 during a narrow quarter-final defeat to eventual winner KRZYSZTOF RATAJSKI, so there's every reason to expect more big performances whether in short, medium and long formats.

Ratajski is my chief outsider for glory at 28/1 even though he is in an extremely dangerous group alongside Price and Martin Schindler, whose three-dart average of 95.73 this year ranks him 11th out of everyone in this field.

The Polish Eagle's 97.03 is seventh best but more importantly he broke his title duck for 2021 in the concluding event of the Pro Tour season during a week in which he averaged over 100 on seven occasions. For him to get that winning feeling ahead of these crunch couple of months will do wonders for his confidence while he seems to have made a real breakthrough on the big TV stages this year having reached the World Matchplay semi-finals and the last eight of both the UK Open and World Grand Prix.

Ratajski is knocking on the door and if he can get through this tough group, a run to the final is not beyond him.

• CLICK HERE to back Ratajski with Sky Bet

My final outright pick CHRIS DOBEY couldn't be a much later entry after receiving his call-up to the field on Thursday following the news that Van den Bergh tested positive for Covid-19.

Although he hadn't earned an automatic qualification spot via the unique criteria, there's no doubt that he's been showing signs of the form that propelled him to semi-final runs at both the 2019 World Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals.

A quarter-finalist in his only previous Grand Slam appearance in 2016, Dobey finally broke his PDC title duck in the summer when holding his nerve to defeat Jose de Sousa in a last-leg decider and then doubled his tally with an 8-6 victory over Ryan Searle last week.

He averaged 102.5 across his seven matches that day, helped by a sensational 111.7 against Rob Cross and 105 against Jose de Sousa while his lowest was actually 97.8 in the final against Searle, which just emphasises the level of consistency he's now reaching.

The Northumberland star's overall seasonal average of 97.51 is the sixth highest out of everyone in this tournament and maybe now we're going to see him hit the biggest stages with a bang over the next couple of months - starting this week.

• CLICK HERE to back Dobey with Sky Bet

Now let's look at each group...

• All group games best of nine legs. Top two qualify for knockout stages. Any two-way points tie in any position, the player with best leg difference will finish higher. If two players are still level then the winner of the match between them will progress. There is the potential for a Nine-Dart Shoot-Out should three or more players be tied for points and leg difference.

GROUP A

• Gerwyn Price (4/7 to top group, 1/10 to qualify)
• Krzysztof Ratajski (9/4 to top group, 2/7 to qualify)
• Martin Schindler (7/1 to top group, 6/4 to qualify)
• Nathan Rafferty (33/1 to top group, 10/1 to qualify)

I've already made the case for Krzysztof Ratajski to go far in this event but that's not to say this group will be easy to negotiate whatsoever.

Nobody needs reminding of Gerwyn Price's talents and he heads into this event boasting the joint highest seasonal average on the circuit of 99.37 alongside Michael van Gerwen. Price should be recharged after missing last week's Super Series events and is 1/10 to progress.

He should do that but in this short format of best-of-nine-legs, MARTIN SCHINDLER could really pose problems for Price and Ratajski having enjoyed a superb season. The German's 2021 average of 95.73 this year ranks him 11th out of everyone in this field while back in August he beat the Polish Eagle 6-1 and then marginally lost 6-4 to Price.

Prediction: Martin Schindler the value to qualify

GROUP B

• (8) Jonny Clayton (2/5 to top group, 1/12 to qualify)
• Mervyn King (11/4 to top group, 1/4 to qualify)
• Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (12/1 to top group, 3/1 to qualify)
• Bradley Brooks (20/1 to top group, 9/2 to qualify)

Jonny Clayton should breeze through this group for reasons I've already given at the top of the article and you'd expect Mervyn King to join him based on his superior form, quality and vast experience compared to rising stars Rusty-Jake Rodriguez and Bradley Brooks.

Paul Nicholson makes a strong case for Rodriguez in his Sporting Life column this week but King will be eager to make the most of his qualification for this event having not featured since the 2015 edition - which shows just how tough it is to get in.

Prediction: Clayton and King to qualify

GROUP C

• (4) James Wade (6/4 to top group, 1/3 to qualify)
• Rob Cross (evens to top group, 1/5 to qualify)
• Jim Williams (8/1 to top group, 5/2 to qualify)
• Boris Krcmar (10/1 to top group, 11/4 to qualify)

Rob Cross has really turned things around with some fantastic results over the past few months and it was great to see him become a major winner once again at the European Championship with a fine victory over Michael van Gerwen in the final.

Just days later he followed that up with a Pro Tour title while the significant improvement in his performance levels means he's now in the top 10 for averages this season - since the start of October he's comfortably higher than that.

He seems a very safe shout to qualify for the next round - probably as group winner - but fourth seed James Wade will be in danger from Challenge Tour winner Jim Williams if he doesn't up his game from what we've seen over the autumn and winter months. He's struggling to win any match right now but it's all about peaking for these big majors.

Williams has never got beyond the group stage in either of his two previous appearances here as a BDO player in 2018 and 2019 so we're yet to see evidence of him coping in this kind of atmosphere. The big two should advance.

Prediction: Rob Cross and James Wade to qualify

GROUP D

• Chris Dobey (5/4 to top group, 1/3 to qualify)
• Stephen Bunting (2/1 to top group, 4/9 to qualify)
• Ryan Joyce (4/1 to top group, 5/4 to qualify)
• Rowby-John Rodriguez (8/1 to top group, 9/4 to qualify)

Chris Dobey is one of my outright selections so obviously I'm counting on him coming through this group and you can't really look past Stephen Bunting either after the season he's had.

The Bullet, who ended a five-year wait to win a Pro Tour title at a Players Championship event during the summer, proved his brilliant run to the Ally Pally semi-finals was no fluke when reaching the last four of the World Grand Prix, where he eventually lost out to Gerwyn Price.

Bunting hasn't looked particularly hot on the floor in recent months but he's been performing better than both Ryan Joyce and Rowby-John Rodriguez and will be feeling far more confident on the big stage.

Prediction: Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting to qualify

GROUP E

• (2) Peter Wright (1/2 to top group, 1/10 to qualify)
• Gabriel Clemens (5/2 to top group, 1/3 to qualify)
• Mike De Decker (10/1 to top group, 11/4 to qualify)
• Fallon Sherrock (14/1 to top group, 7/2 to qualify)

On current form, Peter Wright is looking a shadow of the player who so bullishly won the World Matchplay in imperious fashion back in July and since October his averages have dropped into the low-to-mid 90s on a regular basis - quite often he's fallen even further into the 80s.

If this trend continues and he can't settle on a set of darts he's comfortable with then the unfazed Fallon Sherrock is in with a genuine chance of causing another huge shock on a televised stage.

'That' comeback against Wright's former lodger Dimitri Van den Bergh at the Nordic Darts Masters showed tremendous character while she also threatened to shock Michael van Gerwen when opening up a 6-3 lead in the final. Bear in mind these matches are only first to five legs!

We know Sherrock has the ability to raise her averages into the 90s and even higher when she needs to - especially over shorter formats - and with the crowd roaring her on again, who's to say she can't nick a couple of wins in this group?

Neither Gabriel Clemens nor Mike De Decker have been ripping up trees of late and their seasonal averages in the low 90s hardly makes them strong favourites against the Queen of the Palace, who is worth considering at 7/2 to go through and create more history.

Prediction: Wright and Sherrock to qualify

GROUP F

• (7) Jose de Sousa (evens to top group, 1/5 to qualify)
• Luke Humphries (9/4 to top group, 4/7 to qualify)
• Mensur Suljovic (3/1 to top group, 5/6 to qualify)
• Matt Campbell (16/1 to top group, 6/1 to qualify)

Jose de Sousa is the defending champion but faces a real challenge to get out of this testing group.

The Special One isn't quite operating at the same remarkable standards from earlier in the campaign when he couldn't stop hitting 180s, and he lost to Mensur Suljovic at last week's Super Series.

However, the Austrian hasn't been in particularly hot form of late either which leaves the door open for Luke Humphries, who has a genuine appetite to save his best for the big TV stages.

This year's UK Open runner-up showed promise on his World Grand Prix debut and at the European Championship he almost took de Sousa right to the wire before losing out 10-8 despite averaging four points higher with 99.

He'll be eager for another shot at de Sousa and will also fancy his chances against Suljovic, who he's been averaging higher than this season albeit marginally.

Prediction: Humphries and de Sousa to qualify

GROUP G

• (3) Michael van Gerwen (2/5 to top group, 1/20 to qualify)
• Joe Cullen (5/2 to top group, 1/4 to qualify)
• John Henderson (12/1 to top group, 11/4 to qualify)
• Lisa Ashton (33/1 to top group, 8/1 to qualify)

One of the most intriguing aspects of this group is how the crowd will behave when Lisa Ashton comes up against John Henderson! Surely they wouldn't have the heart to vociferously put Hendo off his game if it reaches a tense conclusion?

There's no doubting the unanimous support she'll receive against Michael van Gerwen and Joe Cullen but ultimately it may not be enough to help her cause any shocks when you consider how well they've both been playing.

MVG ended his barren year by winning the Nordic Darts Masters before finally landing a ranking title in the penultimate Players Championship event of the season while Cullen arguably deserved to win the last based on his astonishing displays during the day.

He even averaged 111 in defeating MVG in the semi-finals before blowing a 7-5 lead against Krzysztof Ratajski in the final.

Ashton hasn't played either over the past two seasons but she did trade victories with Henderson during her maiden year on the Pro Tour in 2020 - so it's fair to say he's probably her number one target for a win.

Prediction: MVG and Cullen to qualify

GROUP H

• (6) Gary Anderson (7/4 to top group, 2/7 to qualify)
• Michael Smith (11/10 to top group, 4/9 to qualify)
• Raymond van Barneveld (7/2 to top group, 4/6 to qualify)
• Joe Davis (20/1 to top group, 12/1 to qualify)

Apart from the World Championship, this is the event Gary Anderson wants to win more than any other, and he boasts a proud record of never being eliminated in the group stage since the very first edition in 2007.

The two-time runner-up, who has also reached the semi-finals on four other occasions, has sadly not been at the races this year but he did at least average 100+ on three occasions in one day at last week's Super Series week to suggest he could be building towards a peak at the right time.

Michael Smith is a fair favourite to progress due to his superior statistics this season and the fact he's won two Pro Tour titles - including one at the end of October - while Raymond van Barneveld has every reason to feel he can qualify for the knockout stages on his return to the Grand Slam for the first time since 2018.

Barney's seasonal average of 94.6 isn't too far behind Anderson's 95.5 and he also looked marginally sharper at last week's Super Series.

You'd expect them all to beat young Joe Davis, who will be relishing this huge opportunity, relatively comfortably and then it becomes a very difficult three-way battle to call.

Prediction: Smith and Anderson to progress

CLICK HERE FOR PAUL NICHOLSON'S GRAND SLAM OF DARTS COLUMN

CLICK HERE FOR GRAND SLAM OF DARTS GROUP STANDINGS AND SCHEDULE

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