Michael Smith beat Alex Spellman 5-2 and Luke Humphries beat Nathan Aspinall 5-3 to book their place in the last 16 of the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts.
‘Bully Boy’ has continued his defiant fairytale run so far, with the St Helens man fighting back from a spate of injuries to only qualify and qualify for the tournament.
However, for Aspinall, losing to “Cool Hand” was the final nail in the coffin and brought an end to the tournament.
After defeating Aspinall, Smith lost to Luke Humphries and closed out the matchup with a nine-darter on Sunday night.
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Luke Humphries took a 129 against Nathan Aspinall to take a 2-0 lead.
But he bounced back from that loss with three stoppages against Spellman and watched nervously as his fate was decided.
With the win over Spellman, Aspinall needed at least a 5-2 win to advance to the last 16, but Humphries needed one leg to advance and three legs to get past himself and Smith.
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Highlights from the Grand Slam of Darts group stage match between Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall.
The world number one closed out the opening leg against Throw with 10 darters and a sensational 129 checkout to extend his lead to 2-0 and ensure his continuation of the tournament.
That left Aspinall with the task of winning five legs on spin. He won the first game to take the score to 2-1, but Humphries then showed his scoring ability to take the lead, clinching the fourth leg with 52 seconds to send Aspinall home past fellow former champions, who eventually won 5-3 to take top spot in Group A.
The next round of Group AD will be decided at Grand Slam of Darts
“I just want to be world-ready and just want to play darts again and be happy,” Smith said.
“As you can probably tell by now, I’m not playing my best game, but I’m really happy to be back.
“I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I could ride another scooter and hurt my left arm, it’s one of them,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. You’ve seen my preparation, I’ve got machines on my legs, wrists, shoulders, and now I have to learn how to do different things. It happens. But I hope this is the start of a new beginning.”
Price, Schindler and Van der Velde win in straight shootouts on penalties
Three-time Grand Slam champion Gerwyn Price defeated Stephen Belmont 5-1 to advance through Group D and secure a place in the next round.
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Gerwyn Price topped Group D at the Grand Slam of Darts with an easy win over Stephen Belmont.
Price came out with a lot of momentum and didn’t let up with a performance similar to his defeat of James Wade. His signature roar showed how much it meant to him to compete again in the tournament where he had won glory so many times.
After taking four legs on the spin, Belmont managed to get on the board, but it was only for “Iceman” to step up another level, starting with a 180 and eventually winning a D10.
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James Wade defeated Ricky Evans 5-2 to win his first Grand Slam of Darts this year.
Meanwhile, James Wade cruised out of Group D and the Grand Slam in good form with a 5-2 win over Ricky Evans.
Price will now face Martin Schindler, who secured a place in the last 16 for the first time after winning 5-2 in a straight penalty shootout against Alexis Toiro to take second place in Group C.
Schindler found a decisive break on his throw to take a 4-1 lead and despite Toiro breaking back, the German No. 1 made good use of his darts and sealed the victory with a stunning 100 on D10.
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Martin Schindler completes the 100, defeating Alexis Toiro 5-2 and advancing to the Grand Slam of Darts final tournament for the first time.
Luke Woodhouse suffered yet another loss in the final match with Stephen Bunting securing top spot in his group, sending ‘Bullet’ home winless, but the St Helens man was unable to leave the Grand Slam with a win after hitting a match dart in D18.
World Youth Champion runner-up Jurgen van der Velde defeated Damon Heta 5-3 in Group B to reach the last 16 in his first appearance and will face off against Humphries in a bid to continue his dream debut.
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Jurjen van der Velde defeated Damon Heta 5-3 to advance to the last 16 in his first appearance at the Grand Slam of Darts.
There was nothing separating the two as they remained slow for seven consecutive legs until 22-year-old Van der Velde took his chance, got three match darts on D16 and went wild as he eventually took it and sent ‘The Heat’ home.
Chris Dobbie, meanwhile, completed Group B with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over 2024 finalist Martin Lukeman, who was unable to repeat the heights he reached last time in Wolverhampton, to close out the top spot.
He will now have a mouth-watering clash with Smith for a place in the quarter-finals.
What happens on Tuesday?
The group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts 2025 concludes on Tuesday with a high-profile match between Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson for the second spot from Group G. Luke Littler, Jan Van Veen and Josh Locke also appear.
Tuesday 11 November, 7pm (Sky Sports + and Sky Sports Main Event)
Johnny Clayton v Danny Knoppert (H) Nico Springer v Beau Greaves (G) Luke Littler v Darryl Gurney (E) Lucas Wenig v Cam Crabtree (H) Connor Scutt v Karel Sedlacek (E) Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson (G) Wessel Nyman v Lisa Ashton (F) Jan van Veen v Josh Locke (F)
Who will win the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts? Watch live all week long on Sky Sports. Live coverage will continue on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm on Tuesday. Stream darts and other top sports now
