By Darts Weekly Staff
7 NOVEMBER 2016 • 10:13PM
Michael van Gerwen and Martin Adams will renew their old rivalry in the SINGHA Beer Grand Slam of Darts after being drawn together in Group A earlier today.
The 32-player tournament, which kicks off at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall this Saturday, sees players from the PDC and the BDO competing for a slice of the £400,000 on offer in the Sky Sports televised event.
Defending champion van Gerwen last faced the BDO stalwart on television on October 15, 2006, when the PDC number one, then as a 17-year-old, beat Adams 7-5 in the final of the Winmau World Masters.
The 32 player field has been split into eight groups of four for the round-robin phase, with van Gerwen and Adams joined in Group A by Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan and PDC World Youth Champion Max Hopp.
Reigning BDO world champion Scott Waites, who won the Grand Slam back in 2010, has been drawn into Group B alongside number eight seed Robert Thornton and two debutants, Wales’ Gerwyn Price and Belgium’s Dimitri van den Bergh.
Group C sees World Series of Darts Finals runner-up Peter Wright drawn alongside in-form Australian Simon Whitlock, Warwickshire youngster Ted Evetts and this year’s BDO World Championship runner-up Jeff Smith, of Canada.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Phil Taylor heads Group B, and is drawn with Stoke rival Ian White, Norfolk-based qualifier Darren Webster and BDO World Trophy winner Darryl Fitton, who is making his first appearance in the event since 2010.
Reigning PDC World Champion Gary Anderson, the number two seed, is joined in Group E by recent European Tour winner Alan Noris, qualifier Nathan Derry and BDO number one Glen Durrant, who is making his Grand Slam debut.
Recent European Championship runner-up Mensur Suljovic heads Group F alongside 2012 Grand Slam champion Raymond van Barneveld, with PDC World Youth Championship finalist Nathan Aspinall and BDO star Danny Noppert joining them as they make their Grand Slam debuts.
Former Grand Slam finalist James Wade is the seeded player in Group G, alongside another former runner-up Dave Chisnall, James Wilson and BDO World Championship semi-finalist Jamie Hughes.
Two-time world champion Adrian Lewis heads Group H, and is drawn with former BDO world champion Scott Mitchell and emerging young talents Benito van de Pas and Chris Dobey.
The round-robin phase of the tournament takes place from Saturday through to Tuesday, with the top two players from each group progressing to the knockout last 16 to challenge for the title, with the event culminating with the semi-finals and final on Sunday, November 20.
SINGHA Beer Grand Slam of Darts
Group Stage Draw
Group A
Michael van Gerwen (1)
Brendan Dolan
Max Hopp
Martin Adams
Group B
Robert Thornton (8)
Gerwyn Price
Dimitri van den Bergh
Scott Waites
Group C
Peter Wright (5)
Simon Whitlock
Ted Evetts
Jeff Smith
Group D
Phil Taylor (4)
Ian White
Darren Webster
Darryl Fitton
Group E
Gary Anderson (2)
Alan Norris
Nathan Derry
Glen Durrant
Group F
Mensur Suljovic (7)
Raymond van Barneveld
Nathan Aspinall
Danny Noppert
Group G
James Wade (6)
Dave Chisnall
James Wilson
Jamie Hughes
Group H
Adrian Lewis (3)
Benito van de Pas
Chris Dobey
Scott Mitchell
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