Grand Slam of Darts Final Preview & Tips

Now, it is time for James Punt’s Grand Slam of Darts Final preview and tips. James went 2-3 in this afternoon’s semi-finals and he is hoping to finish the tournament on a high note. Check out his big match preview below.

Luke Humphries vs. Rob Cross

It was a 16-10 win for Humphries in his semi-final with James Wade. A frustrating result for our bets. It was very close for most of the match but in the latter stages, Wade went right off the boil and Humphries finally found his doubling, which was completely absent in the first two thirds of the game. From looking like a close one, Humphries reeled of four legs in a row to win.

He finished the game in the kind of form he has played the rest of the tournament in and he says that he prefers playing in the evening. So, I would expect a more consistent performance tonight. He has the advantage of having a longer break between playing his semi-final and playing the final.

Longer Break an Advantage

Six of the last eight Grand Slam winners have won the first semi-final, so there is some evidence to suggest that the longer break helps. Luke is also a five time Euro Tour winner in the last two years and that is good training for long days like these. To win a Euro Tour title, you have three matches to win on the Sunday. Luke is well versed in being able to switch off and back on again.

Rob Cross rather spluttered to a 16-13 win against Bunting. He missed a chance to win it 16-12, but it was a case of close but no cigar. It was a decent performance but for a late wobble.

Cross has won eight of his last ten matches and his great run of plus 95 averages goes on. Nine of his last ten and twenty of his last twenty two matches have seen 95+ averages and none worse than 92. He will likely need to be well above 95 if he is to emerge victorious, but he should be able to win a decent amount of legs.

Cross hasn’t won the amount of titles as Humphries has on the Euro Tour but he has reached plenty of finals, so he is used to playing a lot on a Sunday. Cross has played in seven ranking major finals and won four.

Both Major Winners

Both players have been there and got the t-shirt in terms of winning a major, just that Cross has more t-shirts and one of the best ones money can buy. Nerves will always play a part, but neither player should clam up.

Their H2H record is 7-6 to Cross. In 2023 it is 2-1 to Humphries and on TV 2-1 to Humphries. They have met in four previous finals, three Euro Tour finals which are 2-1 to Luke, and a Players Championship final which Cross won.

This is a much bigger deal, but finals are always important. Their Euro Tour finals were reasonably close with a cumulative leg score of 22-20 to Humphries.

We would all like a close competitive final. Of the fourteen finals played as a best of 31 leg format, seven have been 24 legs or less and seven 28 legs or above.

The joint most common scores have been 16-12 and 16-13, and this match has that kind of feel to it. Humphries arguably has a bit more momentum and having recently won his first major, maybe a bit more confidence.

Grand Slam of Darts Final Tip: 1 point Luke Humphries to win -2.5 legs@ 2.02 with Unibet

Grand Slam of Darts Final Tip: 1 point over 27.5 legs @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes, Boylesports

2023 Grand Slam of Darts Final Tip: 0.5 point Humphries to win 16-12 @ 10.00 generally available

It is the Players Championship Finals next weekend. Tournament preview on Thursday and then selected match coverage over the weekend.

-JamesPunt