Another accomplished showing at the Grand Slam of Darts underlined how dependable Danny Noppert has become, reaching the semi-finals at each of the last three televised majors.

He has threatened to go further at each event, and only the very best have stopped him. Luke Littler halted his progress in Wolverhampton after Luke Humphries got the better of him at both the World Grand Prix and the European Championship.

The Dutchman would not meet Littler until the final in Minehead, and although he shares a quarter with Humphries, there is no certainty that Cool Hand will make the last eight. The reigning Players champion has to come through a best-of-11-legs match with Gian van Veen to start with, plus a possible third round meeting with Josh Rock.

Section four of the draw is by far the softest, with James Wade’s route looking particularly inviting.

The Machine opens against Mickey Mansell, and would then face the winner of Joe Cullen v Peter Wright before potentially taking on Damon Heta for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Wade was eliminated in the Grand Slam group phase, but he averaged 97 in defeat to Stefan Bellmont and finished with a comfortable win over Ricky Evans, which was impressive given he was already out of the competition and had little to play for.

Having already reached a final in Minehead at the UK Open this year, Wade - one of only two players to beat Littler in a televised ranking event this season - has a good opportunity to put himself in a similar position again.

Like Wade, Jermaine Wattimena is in the bottom section, and it would be no surprise if the Dutchman met the Machine in the quarter-finals.

The 37-year-old broke through to win his maiden Pro Tour title in Hildesheim in July, and added a second victory in Wigan last month, helping him secure the sixth seed for the Players Championship Finals.

Wattimena’s stage form is more than adequate, too. He got to the quarter-finals of the latest European Tour event, posting averages of 105, 107 and 111 in his three wins before falling to eventual champion Nathan Aspinall.

‘The Machine Gun’ opens against Wesley Plaisier, whom he beat in their only previous head-to-head in September.