In professional darts, sometimes one tournament can simply blend into another but the 32 players lining up for next week’s PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin have something a little different to contend with. The World Grand Prix is the only mainstream tournament that requires every leg to start, and end, with a double which just gives a bit of an edge to the battle for the £100,000 first prize.
The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit are in action, along with the top 14 non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit and the leading two non-qualified players from Ireland & Northern Ireland from the ProTour Order of Merit.
Last year’s losing finalist Brendan Dolan (100/1 to go one better this time with Boylesports, bwin and Ladbrokes), who recorded the first-ever double-start nine-darter 12 months ago, will be lining up again along with fellow Northern Irishman Michael Mansell, while Limerick’s William O’Connor will get plenty of support from the Dublin public but is the outsider of the entire field at Ladbrokes’ 250/1. Michael Smith is among a number making their World Grand Prix debuts next week but the St Helens youngster, who won his second senior ranking event in Benidorm earlier this year, couldn’t have asked for tougher start. He’ll be playing defending champion and Ladbrokes’ 2/1 favourite Phil Taylor in the first round. Smith is 125/1 with Boylesports to be outright winner in Dublin. Taylor was claiming his 1oth double-start title last year when beating Brendan Dolan but will need to be at the top of his game again with 2007 and 2010 winner James Wade (14/1 with Bodog, Boylesports and bwin) expected to be a threat again and 2004 champion Colin Lloyd could be overpriced at the general 66/1. Lloyd should get through his first-round match with Michael van Gerwen but is then likely to face current world champion Adrian Lewis (a general 8/1) He starts off against Welshman Ritchie Burnett, a semi-finalist in 2011 but a general 80/1 this year.
