Peter Wright sees proud 13 year darts record come to a calamitous end
Scotland's two-time World Champion fails to make the Grand Slam as Michael Smith seals a return to the TV stage
Toiling Peter Wright suffered more pain as his 13-year run at the Grand Slam of Darts came to a crashing end.
But it was joy for Michael Smith having clinched an important big-time return after a difficult period of injury and absence.
Wright will not appear in the Finals of the next TV major for the first time since 2012 having been whitewashed by Connor Scutt in Friday’s Tour Card Holder Qualifier in Wigan.
Snakebite has dropped out of the World’s Top 16 after a tough few months and this latest setback is a bitter blow as he aims to try and recapture his best.
It was a contrasting story for Smith, however, who was among the eight players to secure a spot in the £650,000 event.
The 2022 Grand Slam champion will make his first TV appearance since March’s UK Open after halting Krzysztof Ratajski’s fightback in the final round of qualification.
Ironically, prior to the progression, Smith had spoken about fighting back towards the higher end of the darting scale.
Speaking to darts world, he said: “I think it shows in darts, it doesn’t matter where you’re ranked, if you’re playing well you’re going to get invited to things and do everything.
“I think if I would have beat [Kevin] Doets that year, I thought I would have been in the Premier League, especially because I’d been in every major, made a semi-final that year, had a final as well. Just because I had one bad game, now no one even remembers my name.”
Bully Boy, though, will now have his name back in lights as he headed eight qualifiers who booked their Wolves places.
Wessel Nijman, fresh from Players Championship 34 success on Thursday, defied an average of over 112 from Ritchie Edhouse to prevail in their winner-takes-all showdown having also beaten 2014 runner-up Dave Chisnall earlier in the day.
Nijman’s compatriot Danny Noppert will also return to the Grand Slam stage after defeating Chris Landman, Alan Soutar and Dennie Olde Kalter.
Scutt will make his second consecutive Grand Slam of Darts appearance after scalping Wright and also Belgian No.1 Mike De Decker en route to qualification.
Ricky Evans dumped out top seed Rob Cross before dispatching Mensur Suljovic to clinch his first Wolverhampton appearance since 2020.
Luke Woodhouse overcame Martijn Dragt, Michele Turetta and Christian Kist to book his place, with newcomers Karel Sedlacek and Lukas Wenig completing the list of eight qualifiers.
As well as Wright, Cross, Chisnall and De Decker, former European Champion Ross Smith, Dimitri Van den Bergh and 2012 champion Raymond van Barneveld also failed to make it through with Jermaine Wattimena, Cameron Menzies, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Joe Cullen also fell short.
Reigning champion Luke Littler will headline a star-studded 32-player field in next week’s event which also includes World No.1 Luke Humphries and three-time champion Michael van Gerwen.