• Grand Slam of Darts

Thornton slams down O'Shea

Robert Thornton was always in command against a struggling Tony O'Shea © Getty Images

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Robert Thornton sealed an emphatic 16-6 victory over Tony O'Shea to cruise into the semi-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts, with Scott Waites joining him after a comfortable win of his own against Ted Hankey.

Thornton raced into a 3-0 lead before O'Shea took out 123 on the bull to pull a leg back. But the next three legs went Thornton's way as he stretched his lead to 6-1, punishing missed doubles from O'Shea to land tops.

O'Shea managed to pull two legs back but Thornton eventually moved to 12-4 after posting his eighth maximum of the game. O'Shea hit back in the next leg by hitting double 18 though Thornton moved ten legs clear to stand on the verge of the semi-finals.

He had to wait, though, with O'Shea coming out on top in the next leg after both men opened with 180s. O'shea then hit a seventh 180 in the next leg before missing a dart at the bull to finish 77, with Thornton seeing it out.

Waites also sealed his place in the last four with a battling 16-10 win over Ted Hankey.

Hankey was looking to avenge his group stage defeat to Waites in the opening game, and the pair traded the first four legs before the BDO World Champion broke for the first time by finishing 32. The match stayed on throw until Waites secured a second break to move three legs clear at 7-4.

But Hankey immediately responded by breaking for the first time, hitting a bullseye-double top combination to finish 90.

A third successive leg went against throw with Waites then taking out double eight to move four legs ahead. Another break put Waites 10-5 up, though Hankey hit back with double top in the next leg after both players missed the bull.

Hankey staged a late fightback from 13-7 down to win the next two legs, before Waites took two of his own to move to the brink of the last four. Waites was off-target on double 18 for a 113 finish however as Hankey hit double five to stay in the match, though he could not prevent Waites sealing the win in the next leg.

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