The competition, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), made global headlines overnight when British darts professional Fallon Sherrock — who was born the year the competition was founded — took out her opening match and became the first woman to beat a male player.
😳😳😳😳😳😳😳 wow @OfficialPDC @ModusDarts180 https://t.co/927ZySeG7m
— Fallon Sherrock (@Fsherrock) December 18, 2019
In her first-round win, Sherrock beat the 77th seeded 22-year-old Ted Evetts, three sets to two at Alexandra Palace in London.
Speaking to the media after her win, the 25-year old from Milton Keyes in England said, “I’m absolutely over the moon. I can’t believe I’ve just made history.”
“I’m really happy because I’ve made something for women’s darts; I’ve proved that we can play the men and we can beat them. I’ve loved every minute of it.”
The annual championships allow just 96 players from across the world to compete. This year, for the first time, a quota of two places was enforced for female players.
Historically, darts has been a sport dominated by men. Deta Hedman, a legendary female darts player, told WISP SPORTS in 2017 that “when a female player beats a male player, they [male players] are reluctant to admit they were beaten by a woman, even though she is one of the best players in the world.”
In 2000, Gayl King became the first female player to compete in the Championships.
On Wednesday morning, Sherrock appeared on Good Morning Britain.
“Last night I proved to myself and everyone else that us women we can play darts against the men and we can beat them,” she said.
Typical of many women who penetrate male-dominated arenas, Sherrock faced horrific levels of online abuse, and told The Sun how she overcame them.
“There was always criticism like trolls online; they’re constantly giving you sexist comments and stuff like that – well, I’ve just proved you wrong.”
“If I saw negative comments I tried to look past them. I’m not going to dwell on what someone has said if it doesn’t affect my life. I think that attitude helps to strengthen my character.”
In a tweet last night, Sherrock announced that she plans to auction the match board and donate the proceeds to The National Autistic Society.
Or email bids to [email protected] 👍🙏 https://t.co/CqFzfm5Hnc
— Fallon Sherrock (@Fsherrock) December 18, 2019
To win the Championships, Sherrock must battle through a further three rounds, with the Championship match taking place on January 1st, 2020. The prize money is £400,000 (roughly $763,862.00).