Double

Losing your opening group match at the Grand Slam is never ideal, but Nathan Aspinall’s defeat could prove especially costly as it came against Michael Smith, who looks the most likely rival for a qualifying spot alongside Luke Humphries.

There wasn’t much wrong with the Asp’s scoring - he hit three 180s in eight legs - but missing 19 of his 22 darts at double ultimately handed the advantage to Bully Boy.

Sunday night offers Aspinall a good opportunity to keep his hopes alive, with CDC qualifier Alex Spellman having been whitewashed by Humphries on the opening day, producing no maximums and averaging just 77.

Provided he stays focused, which you’d expect given what’s at stake, this should be a straightforward night for Aspinall.

After Humphries opened with a 5-0 win on Saturday night, Littler looked set to match it against Karel Sedlacek, but after missing two darts to complete the clean sweep, he had to settle for a 5-1 victory.

The world champion is a strong favourite again in his second group match against Connor Scutt, who reached the last eight of the 2024 Players Championship Finals and beat Gerwyn Price at this year’s UK Open, but has struggled to build on those results.

Scutt’s win over Daryl Gurney on day one was valuable, but this contest looks like too big a step up based on the level he’s shown in the last few months.