William Hill Sponsor 2011 Grand Slam of Darts

Darts fans favourite  the Grand Slam kicks off in just over a couple of weeks time in Wolverhampton. The 2011 tournament will see a new sponsor, more details below and of course DartsMad will be running another Beat The Tipster competition in association with our own new sponsors Bulls Darts and Darts Corner. The GSOD also provides plenty of point scoring opportunities in our Premier Fantasy League Darts competition.

WILLIAM HILL, Britain’s biggest bookmaker, have been confirmed as the title sponsor of the 2011 Grand Slam of Darts, which will be held at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall from November 12-20.

William Hill, who offer betting via mobile, online, telephone, and across their 2300 betting shops, will support the Sky Sports-televised nine-day extravaganza in Wolverhampton.

The William Hill Grand Slam of Darts will feature 32 players – including three-time winner Phil Taylor, reigning champion Scott Waites and World Champion Adrian Lewis – who initially compete in eight four-man groups before the top two in each proceed to the knockout last 16.

The tournament will culminate on Sunday November 20, with the semi-finals and final played across two sessions as players battle for the £100,000 first prize.

“We’d like to welcome William Hill as the new title sponsors of the 2011 Grand Slam of Darts and look forward to working with such a well-known and respected brand,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

“This tournament brings together the greatest players in darts, who have qualified by virtue of their achievements in major tournaments over a two-year period, and in William Hill we have a sponsor whose stature reflects that.

William Hill Chief Marketing Officer Kristof Fahy said: “The William Hill Grand Slam of Darts is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world of darts and it’s a privilege to be able to put our name to such an event.”

The William Hill Grand Slam of Darts will be the best-supported since the tournament was introduced in 2007, with more tickets already having been sold than in the whole of last year’s event.

The field for the Grand Slam of Darts will see stars such as Taylor, Waites and Lewis joined by Premier League Darts champion Gary Anderson, UK Open winner James Wade and former World Champions Raymond van Barneveld, John Part, Mark Webster, Steve Beaton and Ted Hankey.

Brendan Dolan qualified to make his Grand Slam of Darts debut recently when he won through to the World Grand Prix final in Dublin, while the finalists from the forthcoming PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship – to be held on November 4 – also qualify.

They will be joined by two players from the Wildcard Qualifier, which will also be held on Friday November 4 in Crawley and gives any darts player the chance to win through to play in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

Tickets for the Grand Slam of Darts are now on general sale from the Wolves Civic Box Office, either in person or by calling 0870 320 7000.

William Hill Grand Slam of Darts – Current Qualifiers
2010 Grand Slam of Darts
Winner Scott Waites
Runner-Up James Wade
Semi-Finalist Steve Beaton
Semi-Finalist Wayne Jones

2009 Grand Slam of Darts
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Scott Waites
Semi-Finalist Raymond van Barneveld
Semi-Finalist Terry Jenkins

2011 PDC World Championship
Winner Adrian Lewis
Runner-Up Gary Anderson
Semi-Finalist Mark Webster
Semi-Finalist Terry Jenkins

2010 PDC World Championship
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Simon Whitlock
Semi-Finalist Mark Webster
Semi-Finalist Raymond van Barneveld

Previous PDC World Champions
2009 Phil Taylor
2008 John Part
2007 Raymond van Barneveld

2011 World Matchplay
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up James Wade

2010 World Matchplay
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Raymond van Barneveld

2011 World Grand Prix
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Brendan Dolan

2010 World Grand Prix
Winner James Wade
Runner-Up Adrian Lewis

2011 UK Open
Winner James Wade
Runner-Up Wes Newton

2010 UK Open
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Gary Anderson

2011 Premier League Darts
Winner Gary Anderson
Runner-Up Adrian Lewis

2010 Premier League Darts
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up James Wade

2011 Championship League Darts
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Paul Nicholson

2010 Championship League Darts
Winner James Wade
Runner-Up Phil Taylor

2011 Players Championship Finals
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Gary Anderson

2010 Players Championship Finals
Winner Paul Nicholson
Runner-Up Mervyn King

2011 European Championship
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Adrian Lewis

2010 European Championship
Winner Phil Taylor
Runner-Up Wayne Jones

2010 PDC World Cup of Darts
Winner Co Stompe
Winner Raymond van Barneveld
Runner-Up Mark Webster
Runner-Up Barrie Bates

World Youth Championship
2011 Finalists (TBC Nov 4)

2010 Winner Arron Monk

2011 Lakeside Championship
Winner Martin Adams
Runner-Up Dean Winstanley
Semi-Finalist Martin Phillips
Semi-Finalist Jan Dekker

2010 Lakeside Championship
Winner Martin Adams
Runner-Up Dave Chisnall
Semi-Finalist Martin Phillips
Semi-Finalist Tony O’Shea

Previous Lakeside Champions
2009 Ted Hankey
2008 Mark Webster
2007 Martin Adams

Grand Slam of Darts Wildcard Qualifier
Winner
Runner-Up

The remaining places in the field will be allocated as follows (based on rankings at November 2):
1 – Highest placed non-qualified player on the main PDC Order of Merit
2 – Highest placed non-qualified player on the Players Championship Order of Merit
3 – Highest placed non-qualified player on the European Order of Merit
4 – Third-placed play-off winner at the Wildcard Qualifier (should the World Youth Championship Finalists include a previously qualified player)

Current Qualifiers (25)
Gary Anderson
Barrie Bates
Steve Beaton
Dave Chisnall
Jan Dekker
Brendan Dolan
Ted Hankey
Terry Jenkins
Wayne Jones
Mervyn King
Adrian Lewis
Arron Monk
Wes Newton
Paul Nicholson
Tony O’Shea
John Part
Martin Phillips
Co Stompe
Phil Taylor
Raymond van Barneveld
James Wade
Scott Waites
Mark Webster
Simon Whitlock
Dean Winstanley

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