Northern Irish duo Josh Rock and Mickey Mansell set to get Grand Slam of Darts campaign under way
Northern Irish pair Josh Rock and Mickey Mansell will be looking to get off to a good start as the Grand Slam of Darts tournament gets under way on Saturday.
The 32-player tournament, which is played at the WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton, starts with the round-robin group stage.
Rock, who is currently ranked 15th in the world, starts with a clash against Gian van Veen, who is coming back into form after a relatively quiet season and reached a European Tour final at the end of September.
Antrim man Rock said earlier this month that his TV performances over the last two years have been "disappointing" but vowed that "things will change".
Rock won the Players Championship 30 in October after beating Jonny Clayton 8-7 in the final to earn his third PDC ranking title this year.
Group A is set to be a fascinating watch as Rock, van Veen, Masters champion Stephen Bunting and Dutchman Wessel Nijman aim to finish in the top two.
Elsewhere, Mickey Mansell will compete on the Grand Slam of Darts stage for the very first time as he comes up against James Wade on Saturday night.
Known as the ‘Clonoe Cyclone’, Mansell beat former world champions Gerwyn Price and Raymond van Barneveld in qualifying to make his maiden appearance in the tournament.
Mansell is in Group A with Wade, reigning champion Luke Humphries and Rowby John Rodriguez.
The final takes place on November 17 as one player aims to take home the Eric Bristow Trophy.