2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Preview

James Punt fired in four winners yesterday, including a nice two pointer on Martin Lukeman. Hopefully we can do even better today. His 2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday group match previews and tips are below.

Danny Noppert vs. Cameron Menzies

Noppert beat Beau Greaves 5-2, averaging 94.79. He was helped by Greaves misfiring on the doubles, but it was just a nice gentle opening game. He has won eight of his last ten matches and is in good form.

Menzies averaged 98.91 in a 5-2 win over Martin Schindler. He too was helped by an opponent who was very sloppy on the doubles. That is not his problem and he gladly took the win and he played well enough.

Menzies has won nine of his last ten matches and picked up his first PDC title eleven days ago. With echoes of the Rock vs. Nijman match, Menzies and Noppert last met in the semi-final of PC29, Menzies won that 7-1 and went on to win the title.

Their H2H record is 2-1 to Menzies and both his wins came this year. That Noppert lost another semi-final was no surprise, he has a habit of doing so, but it is unfortunate for him that it gives Menzies the edge mentally coming into this game. I would expect it to be closer than that semi-final and we could get an overs bet up here, and hopefully Menzies to win.

Over 7.5 legs is just 1.73, and as we only saw three overs from sixteen matches yesterday, that looks too short. No bet.

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: No Bet

Beau Greaves vs. Martin Schindler

Both of these players let themselves down with poor doubling yesterday, more so Schindler, who must really hate this place. He has played thirteen Grand Slam matches and won just two. That will be messing with his head. His recent form sees just five wins from his last ten matches, and his checkout rate of just 16.7% yesterday left him fuming.

This time last year, Beau Greaves had lost her opening match to Nathan Aspinall and then faced a German competitor in her second match. She beat Ricardo Pietreczko 5-1. Can this be a case of history repeating itself? Why Not!

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: 1 point Beau Greaves to win @ 3.20 with BET365

Peter Wright vs. Leonard Gates

Peter Wright was very poor yesterday, losing 0-5 to Martin Lukeman and while Smash played very well, Wright was dreadful. He averaged just 85 and he didn’t get a throw at a double, that is now one sided it was. Wright has lost eight of his last ten matches and is right back in the darting abyss from which he briefly emerged a couple of months ago.

Gates has won eight of his last ten matches, nine on the CDC tour, but his B game should be good enough to give Snakebite a match today. He will be upbeat, enjoying the chance to play a match on TV, while Wright is in that dark place. Talking a good game but throwing rubbish.

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: 1 point Leonard Gates to win @ 2.37 with SpreadEx, Betvictor

Rob Cross vs. Martin Lukeman

Smash really lived up to his nickname yesterday. He nearly accidently smashed Wright in the face on the walk on, and then he did smash him on the board, winning 5-0 and landing a nice two point bet for us. It was only a 99.88 average, so he misses out on five consecutive ton plus averages. He did take his foot off the gas a bit, when it was clear he was going to win at a canter. He has won seven of his last ten matches and has hit some very nice form.

Rob Cross didn’t get out of first gear in his 5-2 win over a disappointing Leonard Gates. He ended up with a 95 average but he was in the mid-eighties for a large part of the match. He can and should be better than that today. Cross has won five of his last ten matches, so he is not in great form.

Their H2H record is 3-1 to Cross, which is not a surprise. They have not met since 2022. Cross will be facing a very different Lukeman this time.

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: 1 point Martin Lukeman to win @ 2.38 generally available

Dave Chisnall vs. Ross Smith

Smith’s body language in his match with Edhouse was a big tell. He was not happy with how he played. It was a very flat performance, and he gave up far too easily.

His recent form sees six wins from his last ten matches, and he hasn’t been playing that badly, but there is no spark. He is not smashing up the treble 20, and that is the mainstay of his game. When he gets going on the maximums, he is a different beast.

Dave Chisnall’s loss of form continued with a 0-5 loss to Connor Scutt. It was over before it started for Chizzy and while he was up on the stage, he wasn’t really in the match. He has lost seven of his last ten matches, and the last six in a row.

Two players who look very down in the mouth and struggling with their form. It doesn’t make much appeal as a betting opportunity. I’d just about make Smudger the favourite, but I will happily pass on this one. No Bet.

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: No bet

Connor Scutt vs. Ritchie Edhouse

Conor Scutt lived up to the hype by averaging 104.38 in a 5-0 demolition of Dave Chisnall. Chizzy only got one dart at a double and missed it. He was a spectator. Scutt did everything right. Very impressive. Scutt has won eight of his last ten matches and is running hot.

Ritchie Edhouse beat a deflated Ross Smith 5-1. It was one way traffic with Edhouse averaging 104, Smith 83. Edhouse has just taken that European Championship form and gone with it again. He has won eight of his last ten matches and is bang in-form.

They have not met in competition before, so no past form as a guide, but surely we can expect a humdinger. I fancy the ebullient Edhouse to just edge it. However, at just 1.83, there is not enough value there for me. No bet.

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: No Bet

Josh Rock vs. Wessel Nijman

Both played well in defeat yesterday. Rock averaged just under 106, and was 40% on the doubles, but that was just not good enough to make much impression on an outstanding showing by Gian van Veen. He just needs to do what he did yesterday, and hope lightning doesn’t strike twice, but it might.

Nijman played really well against Bunting but lost. Poor doubling cost him what should have been a comfortable win. Rock was beaten, Nijman lost. There is a difference. Nijman will have been disappointed with himself, Rock can just shrug his shoulders as he did nothing wrong. Nijman has more work to do to get his head back in the right place.

Rock is the more experienced player, and not just in this event. That should count for something. He is also playing better, winning eight of his last ten matches and picking up a title ten days ago. Nijman has won six of his last ten matches, but has lost the last two, one of which was a 5-6 loss to Rock in the quarter final of PC30, which Rock went on to win. Good positive mental associations for Rock.

Their H2H record is 2-1 to Rock. Both his wins were 6-5, while Nijman’s win back in June was 6-0. I’ll take Rock to win a close one.

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: 1 point Josh Rock to win @ 2.00 generally available

Stephen Bunting vs. Gian van Veen

Bunting was the 5-4 winner vs. Wessel Nijman yesterday, but he was lucky that Nijman had a bad day on the doubles. Bunting played very well, averaging 103, but he could have been 0-4 if the young Dutchman had been better on the doubles, missing seven cost him the match. It will have helped settle Bunting into the event and all he can do is keep doing what he did yesterday, and hope that it will be enough.

It might not be if Van Veen keeps doing what he did yesterday. He beat Josh Rock 5-2 and averaged 110. He did what Nijman should have done. Van Veen hit five doubles from six attempts and hit four maximums. There was little Rock could do except say well played. That was Van Veen’s best average for 49 matches, which suggests that he is unlikely to repeat it, but he has the potential to score well again.

Their H2H record is 4-2 to Bunting. He won their only match in 2024 6-2 back in May. They have played on TV once, and Bunting won that match 6-1 at the Players Championship Finals last year. I think he has the edge here.

Sadly, the market agrees and at just 1.73, Bunting offers no great value. No bet.

2024 Grand Slam Darts Sunday Tip: No Bet

-JamesPunt