Grand Slam of Darts: How will Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton fare during the group stage? Paul Nicholson gives his verdict

What does it take to win the Grand Slam?

I don’t think you need a unique quality to win this major compared to others, but you do need to be versatile. You need to be good at a short format to get through the precarious group stages, then the mid-format for the next round and then ultimately in the latter stages you need staying power over the best of 31-leg format.

You will need to be fast out of the traps if you’re going to get to the longer marathon matches.

I was good at the shorter-format darts during my career but I struggled on the occasions I ever got to the longer format because I wasn’t exposed to it enough. I got to the quarter-finals of this event once and was hammered 16-7 by Phil Taylor, who could maintain high averages over that kind of distance. I was out of my depth.

There aren’t many majors which require you to play that many legs, so that’s why the players who are used to it tend to win it.

Is the group stage tough for the big guns?

The short format does make the group stage a little bit of a lottery but history suggests that the very best players have a very strong survival record.

Phil Taylor was never eliminated in the groups and so far Gary Anderson hasn’t suffered that fate either, while Michael van Gerwen’s only early exits came way back in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Of course there have been high profile causalities – like Peter Wright last year – but the outsiders in this competition, especially during the days when BDO players were involved, lacked big stage form coming into the event. At this stage of the season, big players are really beginning to peak.

How will Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton fare?

Fallon Sherrock won’t be fazed whatsoever by this challenge because she’s built up quite a lot of big stage experience now and has repeatedly proved she can handle the pressure and deliver world class performances.

Her run to the Nordic Darts Masters final recently was yet another reminder of what she can do against big-name players despite the lack of consistent exposure against them and she could so easily have beaten Michael van Gerwen in that final.

She’ll have the crowd massively on her side for all her matches, which she’ll revel in, and there’s no doubt she has the ability to create some more magic moments.

If you asked her what she’d prefer - beating Wright and be eliminated or getting through the group by beating the other two in the group – there is no doubt she’d say the latter. She’s already beaten world class players on the big televised stage so that box is ticked. Now she wants to be the first woman to reach the second round of the Grand Slam.

Lisa Ashton is also trying to do the same and finds herself in a group alongside Michael van Gerwen, Joe Cullen and John Henderson so you’d have to say her most winnable game is against Hendo.

As for her mouth-watering showdown with MVG, a shock is possible when you think Sherrock got to five legs against him first during their recent Nordic Darts Masters final, despite the eventual defeat, whilst we can’t forget what she did against Jan Dekker in the first set of her Ally Pally debut. She averaged well in excess of 100 and in best-of-nine she can do that.

If you asked her whether she’d rather beat MVG and go out, or progress with two other wins, she would consider her options due to the magnitude of creating such a mind-blowing moment at this stage of her career.

However, she ultimately wants to get through the group and win enough prize money to help her save her Tour Card. That’s the most important thing but the carrot of beating MVG is tantalising because she’s yet to experience that show-stopping moment against a world class male player on a big stage in front of the TV cameras. Creating those kind of memories will last a lifetime and it is one of the reasons why we get into the sport rather than money.

Who can be the surprise packages?

Here's a look at the potential 'shocks' I think could occur during the group stage...

• Group A: Martin Schindler (7/1 to win the group, 6/4 to qualify)

You can’t write off Martin Schindler even though he’s in a group alongside Gerwyn Price and Krzysztof Ratajski because he’s played brilliantly this season. He may not have played to his best at the recent Super Series but he’ll fancy his chances of beating everyone in this group over best-of-nine legs.

I do expect Price will sneak through but it really won’t be as easy as the odds suggest and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Ratajski and Schindler go through. That said, Price will fancy this group because it will mean he has to blast out of the blocks, which may also play to his benefit in the future rounds.

• Group B: Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (12/1 to win group, 3/1 to quality)

A lot of pundits will think this is Jonny Clayton and Mervyn King progressing without any bother, but you can’t write off the talents of Rusty-Jake Rodriguez who has been dominant on the European Development Tour and has enjoyed some success amongst the seniors without a tour card as well.

He’s qualified for the World Championship and in terms of quality I’d rate him amongst the top 64 in the world right now and could be a dangerous proposition in this group, which also includes Bradley Brooks. If King is slightly off his game, he’s in trouble because Rodriguez has a confidence level superior to so many other youngsters out there.

• Group C: Jim Williams to qualify at 5/2

I don’t believe James Wade will make it through this group. I think Rob Cross wins it due to the form and improvement he’s shown recently while I expect Jim Williams to join him.

He’s got no pressure on him having won the Challenge Tour and secured his Tour Card for the next two seasons so he can use this as a bonus to see what he can do on the big stage in this company. Obviously he has experience of this tournament before from his BDO days whereas the other outsider in this group – Boris Krcmar – does not.

• Group D: Stephen Bunting to win the group (2/1)

Rowby-John Rodriguez is regarded as the outsider here but he’s produced some stellar darts at times this season and this is a good draw for him.

Ryan Joyce is another player smelling an opportunity here but Stephen Bunting is my favourite to win the group due to the inconsistencies we’ve seen from others. In my opinion I think Chris Dobey and Bunting get through, but in this group there are many opportunities for ranking growth.

• Group E: Mike De Decker (11/4 to qualify) and Gabriel Clemens to qualify (1/3)

I don’t think Fallon Sherrock’s odds to win the group at 14/1 are that disrespectful given the strength of it but we don’t really know what’s going on with Peter Wright at the moment.

He’s tinkering with his darts a lot and certainly doesn’t seem in the same sort of place as he was before the World Matchplay. He could be at risk because Gabriel Clemens has been proving why he’s Germany’s best player right now with some decent results and impressive stats, while Mike De Decker has put in some big numbers as well. He’s a very talented player. My only question mark with him is that he doesn’t have much big stage pedigree.

It’s very hard to see who joins a stuttering Wright in the next round. If it’s going to be Sherrock then she’ll need to average in the 90s and perhaps even produce one above 100, which we know she can do.

For the story I’d love Wright and Sherrock to come through this group but I have a sneaky feeling it will be De Decker and Clemens.

• Group F: Mensur Suljovic to win the group at 3/1

Matt Campbell is a massive price of 6/1 to qualify but I guess he doesn’t have big stage experience against players of this calibre, even though it is ‘only’ best of 9 leg matches.

We’re not sure what he’ll play like in front of a huge atmospheric crowd and how he’ll cope with the pressure against these world-class opponents.

Jose de Sousa is a vulnerable favourite in this group due to his recent slump in form in comparison to what he was achieving earlier in the year, while he’s not hitting anywhere near as many 180s as he was before. That invites in players like Luke Humphries and Mensur Suljovic, who is a real finisher.

Suljovic is perhaps fresher having not played in as many events as other big names in recent months and has shown promising form when he does feature. I have a suspicion he’ll win this group.

• Group G: No shocks, MVG and Joe Cullen to qualify

Lisa Ashton is an even bigger price at 33/1 to win this group than Fallon Sherrock is to win hers which shows how tough this will be.

Michael van Gerwen is obviously favourite having finally won a ranking title recently while Joe Cullen and John Henderson will be vying for that runners-up spot.

Based on form then it’s perhaps fair to say that Ashton’s most winnable game is against Hendo but the crowd will struggle to know who to cheer for in that one! Who could boo or whistle Hendo?!

I do ultimately expect MVG to progress alongside Joe Cullen, who is playing very well at the moment.

• Group H: No shocks, Anderson and Smith to progress

No disrespect to Joe Davis – he’s a lovely kid with a bright future – but he’s not at the level to beat any of these three right now. But to be alongside Gary Anderson, Michael Smith and Raymond van Barneveld on the big stage is what dreams are made of for a young player.

This will be an unbelievable experience for him so he will feel like Christmas has come early even if he goes home with three heavy defeats.

It’s the first time Anderson hasn’t won a Players Championship title in a season for eight years so he’s at risk of group-stage elimination for the first time in his career – but he has shown some glimpses of good form last week.

I do actually think he’ll sneak through alongside Michael Smith because of the attention on Raymond van Barneveld and his return to the big TV stage. This might take away some of his focus and allow the others to pounce.

Who wins the title

It is a very tough tournament to predict due to the fact you can’t really plot players paths to the final like we can for regular tournaments.

But looking at the odds, Rob Cross ( 16/1) is very appealing when you think he’s won the European Championship, has historical success over long format matches and above all, has really grown in confidence during the second half of the season.

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