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Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Luke Humphries sent Beau Greaves 'big time' message after major scare
Beau Greaves defends her Women's World Matchplay crown on Sunday following a ringing endorsement from world No. 1 Luke Humphries, who reckons she will grace the Premier League one day It would take a brave punter to bet against Beau Greaves at the Women's World Matchplay. While the likes of Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton will have something to say, Beau 'n' Arrow is the overwhelming favourite to make it three Matchplay crowns in a row on Sunday. Greaves hasn't just been dominating fellow female players this year, she has been taking it to the men as well. After the disappointment of failing to land a PDC Tour card via Q-School in January, the Doncaster thrower has bounced back in devastating fashion. She tops the Women's Series by a whopping margin, leads the Development Tour and is fifth in the Challenge Tour, as well as making a smattering of appearances on the ProTour. Greaves also made her mark at the UK Open, pushing world No. 1 Luke Humphries all the way on the main stage at Butlin's Minehead. At 7-5 up, she looked capable of dumping out the 2024 world champion, who fought back to win 10-7. The standing ovation she received from the crowd and the respect she was afforded by Humphries were richly deserved for a player who is continually raising the bar in the women's game. Cool Hand was so impressed that he predicted it won't be long before she joins him and Luke Littler in the Premier League. "She belongs in big-time darts. She is obviously a massive advocate of the ladies' game," said Humphries. "The ladies' game has grown massively and it is because of her, but she belongs in this environment. She really did test me there and if we were in a Premier League game, she would have beat me. She just needs to give herself time. "Maybe in five years, I think she'll be in the Premier League and I think she is probably a top-64 player in the world right now, but I don't want to put pressure on her. "Let her keep doing what she's doing and the next few years she will find she has got the level that can match me, Luke [Littler] and Michael [van Gerwen], so she has a massive future ahead of her. "She is still very young but if you can test me - and I didn't play too bad there - it shows she has got the big-time darts and over the next few years I am sure I will be sharing the stage with her a lot." Humphries' plea for patience may fall on deaf ears amid the clamour for her to return to the PDC World Championship for the first time since the 2022/23 tournament, when she competed well before being eventually beaten by William O'Connor in the first round. Barred from competing in both the WDF Women's World Championship and the PDC Worlds, Greaves has shunned Alexandra Palace for the Lakeside in the last two years. Her 2025 plans are unclear, but the smart money is on her joining the expanded 128-player field at Ally Pally. Having previously expressed a reluctance to play against the men on a regular basis, Greaves is now feeling much more at ease. "I've been doing well on the Challenge Tour and the Development Tour, that's really brought my game on,' she said as she signed with Target Darts, who are also Littler's equipment suppliers. "Being able to play on the ProTour has been really good for me too. I've had a couple of wins on there. "I just want to keep progressing. I need to be a bit more consistent and just push myself more. Playing the better players does make me better." On the big decision facing her, she insists it will be her choice, despite potential outside influences. She said: 'Obviously, I have that choice to make between Lakeside and Ally Pally. I'm not sure yet. I think I'll know halfway through the year. 'I have a great support system with my family and my manager. Ultimately, I listen to what I want to do, what I want to play in. It's a massive opportunity, more on the Ally Pally side, but it's about what I'm comfortable with.' Top seed Greaves will face Finnish debutant Kirsi Viinikainen in the quarter-finals of the Women's Matchplay on Sunday afternoon.
Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Luke Littler 'annihilated' World Matchplay star's husband aged 12 after savage prediction
Women's World Matchplay star Lorraine Winstanley recalls seeing her husband lose to a 12-year-old Luke Littler before going on to work with the 2025 world champion Luke Littler 'annihilated' a PDC Tour star at the age of 12 to fulfil his pre-match prediction. Female darts star Lorraine Winstanley has recalled her first encounter with Littler, now 18, at a tournament on the Isle of Man. Her husband Dean Winstanley, who hit a nine-darter at the PDC World Championship in 2012, was the player who suffered the drubbing after The Nuke had confidently predicted a one-sided victory. Lorraine, who will be part of the Women's World Matchplay on July 27, recalled: 'He's absolutely annihilated my husband on the Isle of Man. I can't remember the format but whatever it was, Dean's leg tally was zero! 'I think Luke had said to him, 'I'm going to beat you 3-0.' And Dean was like, 'Yeah, alright mate,' but he did! He wasn't saying it in a cocky way, it was a statement, 'I'm going to beat you 3-0.' That's my first memory of him. 'I've known Luke a long time because we then played for England together. He's a lovely lad from a lovely family. He's just brilliant, isn't he?' Lorraine, as Target Darts' head of youth development, went on to work closely with Target-backed Littler and is proud of what the teenager has achieved in such a short period of time, including winning the world title in January. 'He's done an amazing job for darts across all ages,' said Lorraine, 49, who provides support and mentorship to the 30-odd players in the leading manufacturer's Elite 1 development programme. 'You can speak to anybody of any age and if they've not heard of Luke Littler, they've definitely been living under a rock. 'What Luke has done for the game is what Fallon [Sherrock] has done for the women's side of the game. When she had that really good run at the World Championship [making the final in 2024], it opened up the game to a whole different audience, people who weren't interested in darts. 'With Luke, it's exciting, it's a new face. He's burst onto the scene and he doesn't disappoint, does he? He came through from our Elite 1 programme. He's the perfect example of how the system works and we're on the lookout for the next superstar.' Lorraine is also proud of the way Littler has developed on and off the oche. Having been thrown in at the deep end with various media and commercial demands, he is now a more assured figure compared to the shyer teenager he was a couple of years ago. 'He has grown massively in his ability to deal with the media because he was thrown into the spotlight. I think he dealt with it really well,' said Lorraine, who faces Noa-Lynn van Leuven in the Women's Matchplay quarter-finals. 'You only have to look back at interviews he gave at the WDF World Championship, about three years ago. If you didn't ask a question that wasn't a yes or no answer, you didn't get a great deal from him. At the end of the day, he was a young teenage lad. 'Now, he's much more natural in front of the camera and speaks really well. He's grown massively, and he's had to do that overnight. Hats off to him for the way he's coped with it all.' Littler begins his Matchplay campaign against Ryan Searle on Sunday night as he looks to add one of the sport's biggest prizes to his growing collection.
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Darts icon John Part recalls oppressive World Matchplay conditions - 'Lack of oxygen'
Ahead of the World Matchplay in Blackpool, which begins this weekend, former runner-up John Part recalls what made the tournament so special and beating Phil Taylor John Part has done it all at the Winter Gardens – apart from actually winning the World Matchplay. The Canadian great's first memories of the legendary venue are of its oppressively hot conditions, at times, during the days when fans could still smoke inside. He has brought the house down with a nine-darter and is part of a tiny band of players to have beaten 16-time winner Phil Taylor. In more recent years, Part has been part of the Sky Sports commentary team, giving him a front-row seat as the greats of today chisel their place into the annals of one of darts' most historic theatres. While he may not have lifted the Matchplay trophy, Part's memories of Blackpool are overwhelmingly positive. The three-time world champion recalled: 'I always enjoyed it. It wasn't always the most comfortable place to play in terms of climate. It could get quite hot and in the earliest days of the event, there was still smoking inside. 'There would be a lack of oxygen in high temperatures. It could be quite gruelling in those early days. It was quite a factor. A lot has changed since then.' Part is one of just nine players in PDC Matchplay history to have nailed a nine-darter. He says his perfect leg felt extra special as it came in front of darts' most knowledgeable fans, even if it was in a losing effort against Mark Webster in 2011. 'We always rated it the best venue with the best, most knowledgeable fans,' said Part, who is pondering a PDC Tour comeback. 'On that side of things, you couldn't ask for any more. It is a fantastic and historic darts venue now. 'I was very happy to get that nine-darter in front of that crowd. It was later in my career. It shocked everybody, maybe including myself! I wasn't throwing that well when it happened and I kind of made a match out of it, even though I lost [10-8].' In an era when it was rare to see anyone but on the winner's roll of honour, Part was runner-up twice. His first final appearance, in 2002, saw him push the Power all the way before eventually losing 18-16. 'It really was breathtaking to play in finals there,' added Darth Marple. 'The first final, against Phil, I wasn't paying a lot of attention to what was going on in the audience. 'I trusted they weren't going to be negative. I knew they liked watching good darts, and I was trying to deliver that.I came quite close in that final with Phil but he just sprung up at the end. I got to 16 [legs] first but not to 18.' In 2005, Part knocked out Taylor, albeit in the quarter-finals. He admits the mental effort needed to defeat the sport's GOAT took its toll. He said: 'I was fortunate enough to beat him in a quarter-final a few years after that. 'My strengths, when it came to dealing with someone like Phil, actually came in the sets format, when I could afford to be a little more up and down in my game. 'But at my best in career, my standard was quite high. Although it wasn't Phil's standard, I could still compete with him and the best in the game.' Despite beating Taylor, Part didn't feel like he had one hand on the trophy. He added: 'It was hard. I had a tough semi-final with Peter Manley. Prior to that [in 2003], in the Desert Classic, he benefited from me beating Phil in a semi [by winning the tournament]. It was like I had done the hard work [by beating Taylor] and Peter had reaped the benefits. 'I didn't want that to happen again. He was ahead of me in the semi-finals of the Matchplay. I rallied [to win 18-16] but it was pretty draining, especially off the back of beating Phil, which was very draining. 'I never felt like it was mine because there were some very tricky opponents, even though I beat Phil. That's why it was better to beat Phil in a final, then you couldn't mess it up!' After seeing off Manley, Part faced another top star of the era in Colin Lloyd, who prevailed 18-12. He said: 'It wasn't the best match we ever had but it reminds me of the calibre of the matches me and Colin would have. It was phenomenal at times. 'They didn't have averages at every tournament back then but we'd have 110 [average] matches. There was no doubt in Colin's abilities and how deserving he was to win major titles. It was appropriate that we had a major final against each other. 'People think darts is more competitive now but believe me, back in those days there weren't a lot of easy games. You can't trust averages all the time.'
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ex-world champ darts ace expected to reverse retirement – ‘I'm pretty certain'
Steve Beaton called time on his career on the PDC main tour at the backend of 2024, but the 1996 BDO world champion has been tipped to make a return by Matt Edgar Matt Edgar has backed Steve Beaton to make a remarkable comeback to the PDC this year, despite the veteran surrendering his Tour Card in 2024. The 61-year-old darts legend, who holds the record for 33 World Darts Championship appearances, brought the curtain down on his three-decade-plus stint on the main tour at the end of last year. Beaton currently competes on the MODUS Super Series alongside the seniors circuit. However, Edgar, 38, has publicly tipped a return to darts' elite level during an appearance on the Love The Darts podcast last month with Sky Sports presenters Emma Paton and Abigail Davies. While the 1996 BDO world champion willingly surrendered his PDC Tour card, Edgar believes the additional investment flooding into the sport, combined with the expanded Paddy Power World Darts Championship format coming to Alexandra Palace later this year, will prove irresistible for the Coventry ace. "With the increased ranking money next year, if you're going to have a bad year and miss the big events, you can get away with it this year because you can make it back up again in the previous year and the following year when you're not defending anything, you've got this heightened prize money, you can make the jump quite significantly," Edgar explained. "Those sorts of players that are looking that they be missing out on some of the big events or they could be going down the rankings like Michael Smith and Dimitri Van den Bergh, this is the year to have a slip because you can get away with it this year to the point where it's not going to ruin you for the four-five year plan. "How many people out there has this really inspired and encouraged because it's two big announcements. We've given you access and opportunity not just in the World Championships but the World Masters now. "You're guaranteed the UK Open so realistically you think, 'Well, if I just have an okay season I should be in three potentially big events.'", reports the Express. "That's great for your sponsorships and the prize money going up, this is right now a very good position for any darts player." Davies then expressed her hopeful thinking that Beaton would be amongst those players motivated, to which Edgar boldly declared: "I think he does, I'm calling it now. I think Steve Beaton's at Q School this year. I am pretty certain of it." Q School is a qualifying tournament for players who compete against each other to earn a PDC Tour Card, which allows them to play on the professional circuit. Despite Edgar's prediction, it was only last month that Beaton revealed it was simply time for him to step back from such a demanding darts schedule. "You've got to move on. I'm 61 now," he shared with Online Darts regarding his choice to retire from the PDC. "I can't keep playing darts all the time. I do watch them and I feel for them you know, they're on the clock all the time. It's great when you're younger. But once you get older it's harder."
The Irish Sun
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
PDC threatened with legal action amid complaints over the way darts is broadcast
THE PDC have been threatened with legal action amid complaints over the way darts is broadcast. The controversy was sparked by last weekend's World Seniors Darts Champion of Champions event. 1 The PDC has been threatened with legal action following Raymond van Barneveld's latest darts appearance Credit: Getty Ross Montgomery won the tournament with an 8-5 win against Richie Howson in the final. However, the presence of The That's because the tournament is part of the World Seniors Darts Tour (WSDT), with Van Gerwen holding an active PDC Tour card. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL PDC stars are normally only allowed to feature in competitions sanctioned by their own group. And any non-PDC tournaments that players do feature in are non-televised. But the Champion of Champions competition was shown live on PlutoTV, leading to confusion over Van Barneveld's participation. And now, WSDT promoter Jason Francis claims the PDC could be threatened with legal action over its 'monopoly' on broadcasting live darts. Most read in Darts BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS He believes his group should be able to show off the game's top stars if they want to play in WSDT tournaments. And with a legal challenge currently in the works over how snooker is televised, a similar one could be coming for the world of darts. Fuming fans complain after Van Barneveld's World Darts Championship walk-on is 'massacred' in embarrassing blunder Francis told the 'There's no negotiation, there's no option, and because of their dominant position, what other choice do players have?" "If you have more than one person competing for the services of a professional sportsman, who wins? Ultimately, the player wins and the darts fan wins. "Why is that? Because as promoters, we have to put enough prize money up to attract Raynond van Barneveld, Luke Littler or Luke Humphries to our event. 'If someone else is doing that, we then have to fight over price. Then, the ticket prices come down." "It's no different to when supermarkets compete over a loaf of bread. Competition is good because the customer gets the best deal. But there is no competition in darts. 'The PDC have a complete monopoly on darts, and it is something that, in snooker, we are legally challenging. If that is successful, I would expect that to follow on in darts as well."
