REIGNING William Hill Grand Slam of Darts champion Raymond van Barneveld will take on shooting star Ricky Evans in the opening session of the £400,000 tournament on Saturday November 9 as the nine-day event begins in Wolverhampton.
Dutch legend van Barneveld heads Group E for the round-robin stage of the event, which sees the 32 players split into eight groups of four players, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockout stage from the second round onwards.
Van Barneveld will open the defence of his title in Saturday afternoon's opening session against Kettering's Evans, the World Youth Championship finalist this year who also reached his first senior final on the PDC ProTour in a Players Championship last Saturday in Wigan.
Their Group E rivals Mervyn King and Tony O'Shea will also meet, while former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites, the current Lakeside Champion, plays Shropshire's two-time World Champion Ted Hankey in their Group H opener.
World Grand Prix finalist and World Youth Champion Michael Smith meet in an all-St Helens clash in the other Group H game, while Group F's opening matches see Andy Hamilton face Wildcard Qualifier Justin Pipe and former UK Open champion Robert Thornton take on Mark Walsh.
The afternoon's other fixtures will come from Group G, as Simon Whitlock plays Challenge Tour Order of Merit winner Ross Smith and Wes Newton plays Mark Webster.
Saturday's evening session features the opening matches for Groups A-D, headlined by 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor's game with Cheshire-based Wildcard Qualifier Stuart Kellett.
Their Group A rivals Kevin Painter and Paul Nicholson, both former Players Championship Finals winners, also meet, while Group B sees former Wolverhampton runner-up James Wade play Wildcard Qualifier Peter Wright and 2011 Grand Slam finalist Gary Anderson face Dutchman Wesley Harms.
Premier League Darts champion Michael van Gerwen plays Vincent van der Voort in an all-Dutch Group D opener, with Belgium's Kim Huybrechts playing Dean Winstanley in the other tie.
European Champion Adrian Lewis kicks off Group C against debutant Richie George, with former Lakeside Champion Christian Kist playing Belgium's Ronny Huybrechts.
Sunday's play will see players compete in their second group games, with the winners of Saturday's matches facing each other and the losers also facing off.
Monday evening will sees Groups E-H play their final group games, with Groups A-D completing their round-robin matches on Tuesday night.
The top two players will progress to play in the knockout Second Round from Wednesday onwards, with the tournament concluding with the semi-finals and final on Sunday November 17.
Tickets for the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts are still available by calling 0870 320 7000 or by visiting www.wolvescivic.co.uk.
William Hill Grand Slam of Darts
Saturday November 9
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Groups E-H First Games
Robert Thornton v Mark Walsh (F)
Andy Hamilton v Justin Pipe (F)
Scott Waites v Ted Hankey (H)
Dave Chisnall v Michael Smith (H)
Wes Newton v Mark Webster (G)
Simon Whitlock v Ross Smith (G)
Mervyn King v Tony O'Shea (E)
Raymond van Barneveld v Ricky Evans (E)
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Gary Anderson v Wesley Harms (B)
James Wade v Peter Wright (B)
Christian Kist v Ronny Huybrechts (C)
Adrian Lewis v Richie George (C)
Kevin Painter v Paul Nicholson (A)
Phil Taylor v Stuart Kellett (A)
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort (D)
Kim Huybrechts v Dean Winstanley (D)
Sunday November 10
Afternoon Session (1.30pm-5.30pm)
Groups E-H Second Games
Saturday's winning players meet each other, and Saturday's losing players meet each other.
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Groups A-D Second Games
Saturday's winning players meet each other, and Saturday's losing players meet each other.
Monday November 11 (7pm-11pm)
Groups E-H Final Games
Tuesday November 12 (7pm-11pm)
Groups A-D Final Games
Wednesday November 13 (7pm-11pm)
4x Second Round Matches
Winner Group E v Runner-Up Group F
Winner Group F v Runner-Up Group E
Winner Group G v Runner-Up Group H
Winner Group H v Runner-Up Group G
Thursday November 14 (7pm-11pm)
4x Second Round Matches
Winner Group A v Runner-Up Group B
Winner Group B v Runner-Up Group A
Winner Group C v Runner-Up Group D
Winner Group D v Runner-Up Group C
Friday November 15 (7pm-11pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
Saturday November 16 (7pm-11pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
Sunday November 17
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Semi-Finals
Evening Session (7pm-9pm)
Final
The schedule of play for Sunday November 10 onwards will be confirmed on www.pdc.tv once finalised following the completion of the relevant previous session.
Format
Group Matches - Best of nine legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 31 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 31 legs
Final - Best of 31 legs
There is no tie-break in any game.
The top two players from each Group will progress to the knockout phase from the Second Round onwards.
In the Group Stage, two points are awarded for a win. Any ties for places in each Group will be split by Points Won and then Leg Difference, with the potential for a Nine-Dart Shoot-Out should two or more players be tied for Points and Leg Difference.
Prize Fund
Winner £100,000
Runner-Up £50,000
Semi-Final Losers £25,000
Quarter-Final Losers £15,000
Second Round Losers £7,500
Group Winner's Bonus £2,500
Third Place in Group £5,000
Fourth Place in Group £2,500
Total £400,000
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