Grand Slam of Darts qualifiers: Bunting leads ten through as Smith misses out

Stephen Bunting led ten players into the Grand Slam of Darts as former champions Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld missed out at Friday’s qualifier in Leicester.

Bunting produced three successive averages above 100 to secure his place, while Joe Cullen denied Smith in their decisive match and Niko Springer averaged 112.25 to book his return to Wolverhampton.

The Tour Card Holder Qualifier brought 91 players to the Mattioli Arena, a day after the PDC ProTour season finished at the same venue. Ten places in the expanded 48-player Grand Slam field were available.

Grand Slam of Darts qualifiers: Bunting and Cullen advance

Bunting, a semi-finalist in 2023, was the highest-ranked player to come through. He beat Arno Merk and Callan Rydz before completing his qualification with a 5-2 victory over Jimmy van Schie.

Cullen’s route was less straightforward. The former Masters champion recovered from 4-2 down against Stephen Burton to keep his campaign alive, then beat 2022 Grand Slam winner Smith 5-3 with a tournament place at stake.

Springer delivered the highest average of those three players’ final qualifying matches. His 112.25 against Stefaan Henderyck helped him to a 5-1 win, securing another appearance after he beat Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson at last year’s event.

Bradley Brooks also finished strongly. The former World Youth champion averaged 106.31 in a 5-2 victory over Dave Chisnall to qualify for the first time since 2021.

Three debutants earn Wolverhampton places

Maik Kuivenhoven, Tom Sykes and Carl Sneyd will all make their Grand Slam debuts after winning their final qualifying matches.

Kuivenhoven, twice a runner-up on the ProTour, beat Chris Landman 5-2. Sykes overcame Adam Leek 5-3 and Sneyd defeated Andy Boulton 5-2.

Ricky Evans secured a second consecutive appearance, following his run to last year’s quarter-finals. He beat William O’Connor before overcoming Cristo Reyes 5-3 in the deciding round.

Alan Soutar progressed with victories over Madars Razma, Mickey Mansell and Mike De Decker. Rusty-Jake Rodriguez completed the ten qualifiers, with Damon Heta and Ritchie Edhouse among those he beat on his way through.

Smith, Wright and Van Barneveld miss out

Smith’s defeat by Cullen ended his hopes of returning to the tournament he won in 2022.

Three-time runner-up Wright fell at the first hurdle, alongside Heta, Danny Noppert and Dirk van Duijvenbode. Noppert had reached the Grand Slam semi-finals last year.

Van Barneveld, the 2012 champion, survived the opening round but lost in the penultimate stage of qualification. Chisnall, runner-up in 2014, was beaten by Brooks with a place in the main event one win away.

Grand Slam of Darts qualifier results

The winners of these last-20 matches secured the ten available places, as confirmed in the PDC’s official qualifier report.

Winner	Score	Loser
Stephen Bunting	5-2	Jimmy van Schie
Maik Kuivenhoven	5-2	Chris Landman
Tom Sykes	5-3	Adam Leek
Rusty-Jake Rodriguez	5-2	Tom Bissell
Niko Springer	5-1	Stefaan Henderyck
Ricky Evans	5-3	Cristo Reyes
Carl Sneyd	5-2	Andy Boulton
Bradley Brooks	5-2	Dave Chisnall
Joe Cullen	5-3	Michael Smith
Alan Soutar	5-3	Mike De Decker

When is the Grand Slam of Darts draw?

The draw takes place on Monday 9 November and will be available through the PDC’s social media channels.

The 48-player tournament will be held in Wolverhampton, with the winner collecting £200,000 and the Eric Bristow Trophy.

Our Grand Slam of Darts qualification guide explains the routes into the field. Find further tournament coverage in our PDC majors news.

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