MERVYN KING’S run to the PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix final has seen him win a spot in the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts next month.
The 46-year-old from Bradwell enjoyed a fine run at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin last weekend to reach the final of the double-start tournament.
Although he lost the final 6-4 to Michael van Gerwen, after leading 4-1 at one stage, King receives the boost of qualifying to maintain his ever-present record in the Grand Slam of Darts after progressing to the Dublin decider.
“I’m delighted to have qualified for the Grand Slam,” said King, a semi-finalist in the 2008 event. “It’s a great tournament and I’m really looking forward to being back in Wolverhampton next month.”
The winner of the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour Order of Merit – either Arron Monk or Michael Smith – will also qualify to compete in Wolverhampton after the final two events are played in Crawley on November 3 & 4.
The qualification of King and the Youth Tour Order of Merit winner means that the 32-player field for the the Grand Slam of Darts has been completed and, as per the announcement on August 20, there will now be no Wildcard Qualifier staged on November 2.
Any player who had already entered the Grand Slam of Darts Wildcard Qualifier through the PDC Online Entry System will be refunded their entry fee in due course.
Should the finalist(s) of the Championship League Darts not have already qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts, their progression would mean that with more than 32 qualifiers, a preliminary round will be staged at the first session in Wolverhampton in order to reduce the field appropriately for the group stage.
Tickets for the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts are on sale now and can be purchased from the Wolves Civic Box Office, either by calling 0870 320 7000, via www.wolvescivic.co.uk or by visiting the Box Office in Queen Square, Wolverhampton.
2012 William Hill Grand Slam of Darts Qualifiers (name) indicates an already qualified player 2011 Grand Slam of Darts Winner: Phil Taylor Runner-Up: Gary Anderson Semi-Finalists: Adrian Lewis, Mark Walsh
2010 Grand Slam of Darts Winner: Scott Waites Runner-Up: James Wade Semi-Finalists: Steve Beaton, Wayne Jones
PDC Tournaments 2012 World Championship Winner: (Adrian Lewis) Runner-Up: Andy Hamilton Semi-Finalists: Simon Whitlock, (James Wade)
2011 World Championship Winner: (Adrian Lewis) Runner-Up: (Gary Anderson) Semi-Finalists: Mark Webster, Terry Jenkins
2012 World Matchplay Winner: (Phil Taylor) Runner-Up: (James Wade)
2011 World Matchplay Winner: (Phil Taylor) Runner-Up: (James Wade)
2012 World Grand Prix Winner: Michael van Gerwen Runner-Up: Mervyn King
2011 World Grand Prix Winner: (Phil Taylor) Runner-Up: Brendan Dolan
2012 UK Open Winner: Robert Thornton Runner-Up: (Phil Taylor)
2011 UK Open Winner: (James Wade) Runner-Up: Wes Newton
2012 Premier League Darts Winner: (Phil Taylor) Runner-Up: (Simon Whitlock)
2011 Premier League Darts Winner: (Gary Anderson) Runner-Up: (Adrian Lewis)
2012 Championship League Darts Winner: Runner-Up:
2011 Championship League Darts Winner: (Phil Taylor) Runner-Up: Paul Nicholson
Dec 2011 Players Championship Winner: Kevin Painter Runner-Up: (Mark Webster)
Feb 2011 Players Championship Winner: (Phil Taylor) Runner-Up: (Gary Anderson)
2012 European Championship Winner: (Simon Whitlock) Runner-Up: (Wes Newton)
2011 European Championship Winner: (Phil Taylor) Runner-Up: (Adrian Lewis)
2012 World Cup of Darts Winners: (Phil Taylor & Adrian Lewis) Runner-Up: (Simon Whitlock & Paul Nicholson)
2010 World Cup of Darts Winners: Raymond van Barneveld & Co Stompe Runner-Up: (Mark Webster) & Barrie Bates
BDO Tournaments 2012 World Championship Winner: Christian Kist Runner-Up: Tony O’Shea Semi-Finalists: Wesley Harms, Ted Hankey
2011 World Championship Winner: (Martin Adams) Runner-Up: Dean Winstanley Semi-Finalists: Martin Phillips, Jan Dekker
Other Criteria 2012 PDC World Youth Championship Winner: James Hubbard Runner-Up: (Michael van Gerwen)
2012 PDC Unicorn Youth Tour Order of Merit Winner: Arron Monk or Michael Smith
World Champions Of The Last Five Years All otherwise qualified except John Part (2008)