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KONG QUALIFIES WITH 170 FINISH IN SINGHA BEER GRAND SLAM OF DARTS

ROBBIE GREEN secured qualification for the second round of the SINGHA Beer Grand Slam of Darts in style with a 170 checkout against Vincent van der Voort on Monday night, as Michael van Gerwen and Terry Jenkins set up a last 16 meeting at the Wolves Civic.

Grand Slam debutant Green had looked set to allow a 4-1 lead to slip in his final Group D game against Holland's Vincent van der Voort, who hit back to force a deciding leg when the Wallasey ace missed four match darts. However, Green claimed victory in brilliant fashion with a maximum 170 finish to take the win from their clash and ensure qualification for the knockout second round.
Green now plays Group C winner Dave Chisnall on Wednesday at the Wolves Civic, but admitted: "I thought I was going to throw it away and I'm disappointed that I didn't finish the game earlier. I'm absolutely made up to have qualified, and the 170 was a great way to do it - but if I'd missed the bull I might well have messed up my chance! To win a game like that is fantastic and I'm just grateful that the bull went in. If I feel like I'm playing well and I'm confident then anything can happen, and I can't wait to play Dave Chisnall on Wednesday now."

Chisnall qualified at the top of Group C despite a 5-2 loss to Adrian Lewis in their final game, as the two-time World Champion bounced back from his two earlier losses with a consolation win as he bowed out of the 400,000 pound event.
"It's really disappointing for me but it was nice to finish with a win," said Lewis. "I had two decent performances in my first two games and lost them, and then I won with my lowest average of the week, but that's darts. It's frustrating for me and I've got to take it on the chin, get back on the practice board and get ready for the rest of the year. I always look forward to the Players Championship Finals and then it's the World Championship and I always try to peak for that."

Keegan Brown secured qualification alongside Chisnall from Group C with a mature performance which belied his 22 years as he overcame Rowby-John Rodriguez 5-3 in their repeat of May's World Youth Championship final. Brown shot into an early 3-0 lead with the aid of two 180s and a 107 finish, only for Austrian ace Rodriguez to fire in a 127 checkout as he hit back to level. Brown, though, hit double 19 to regain the edge before following another maximum with a 120 checkout to secure victory.
"When I went 3-0 up I was in a really good position but Rowby showed how good he is by coming back," said Brown. "When it was three-all I just had to relax and I managed to do that and get the final two legs."


World Youth Champion Brown, from the Isle of Wight, now plays Group D winner Raymond van Barneveld in the second round after the Dutchman completed his league phase with a 5-2 win over Robert Thornton.
2013 Grand Slam runner-up Thornton had looked set to put two earlier Group D defeats behind him by taking a 2-0 lead, but a 136 finish from van Barneveld changed the game as he took five successive legs for the win.
"It was tough for me today and harder to focus because it wasn't a knockout game, so I'm happy to have won," said van Barneveld. "I'm looking forward to the next round and I'll know how to prepare, so I will be on my game."

PDC World Champion Michael van Gerwen powered past Jan Dekker with a whitewash victory as he secured qualification at the top of Group A with a dominant performance. Van Gerwen had taken victory over Darren Webster and Kim Huybrechts in his opening two Group A games in the Sky Sports televised event, but needed to claim a minimum of four legs against Dekker to seal his last 16 spot.
However, he blew his fellow Dutchman away in under ten minutes to ensure that he will top his group going into the second round on Wednesday. After edging a scrappy opening leg on double one, van Gerwen took out double eight and then landed double four to win his third leg, after his opponent missed the bull in what would prove his only dart at a double. A clinical 112 finish moved van Gerwen 4-0 up before he landed a 180 and a 141 checkout to complete a brilliant whitewash.
"I'm really happy to be through to the second round, and I couldn't do any more than win this game tonight," said van Gerwen. "I did a good job but I wasn't at 100 percent today and still won, so that makes me very dangerous. I've got more in the tank and I'll get myself ready for the second round on Wednesday."

Van Gerwen was later joined in qualifying from Group A by Huybrechts, who defeated Darren Webster 5-1 in their decisive final group game by coming from a leg down to storm to victory.
"I'd been told I could qualify with four legs but I was just aiming to win the game and I treat every match like a knockout," said Huybrechts. "To win so well was great for me and I can look forward to the second round now."

Van Gerwen now meets Terry Jenkins in the second round in a repeat of last month's European Championship final, after the Ledbury ace past Ronny Huybrechts 5-1 in their Group B decider. Jenkins qualifies alongside Alan Norris, the Lakeside Championship runner-up who had won his opening two games but lost out 5-3 to Scott Waites as the 2010 champion claimed a consolation win.
Norris finished 129 and 164 during the game to continue his trend of big checkouts, but Waites produced his best display of the Group Stage to bounce back from his two previous defeats.
Waites said: "It's nice to get up on that stage and have a win, and even though I was down and out in the group I wanted to get up there and give him a good game. He got that tonight and it was nice to get the win. The first two games were frustrating but I missed too many doubles and didn't deserve to win, but I lost 5-4 against Ronny Huybrechts and looking back that one leg has possibly cost me getting through to the next round."

Norris now meets Kim Huybrechts in Wednesday's second round, and said: "I've come here to enjoy the tournament and I'm doing that, and it's a bonus to top my group. I'm finishing really well, and if I can put that together with some consistent scoring then I could hit some major averages. I wasn't consistent enough tonight but I'll have a relaxed day on Tuesday and get ready for the second round."

Tuesday night sees Groups E-H complete their games in the round-robin stage at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, with reigning champion Phil Taylor needing to win just one leg in his clash with Andy Hamilton to secure his progression. Christian Kist and Richie George meet in the other Group E clash, with both still able to qualify for the knockout stage.

The other three groups already have won player qualified following two wins, with a trio of sudden-death contests set to headline the evening's play.
Recent Masters champion James Wade takes on Tony O'Shea in a clash which will see the winner progress to the last 16 alongside Mervyn King, who takes on winless Jamie Caven.

2011 Grand Slam finalist Gary Anderson also faces a must-win clash against Holland's Wesley Harms as they bid to qualify from Group H alongside unbeaten Stephen Bunting, who plays Dean Winstanley.

Group F sees former PDC World Championship finalists Peter Wright and Simon Whitlock face off as they bid to progress alongside Michael Smith, the former World Youth Champion who is bidding to remain unbeaten when he takes on Brendan Dolan.

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