Fallon Sherrock
MBE
Sherrock in 2022
Personal information
Nickname"Queen of the Palace"
Born (1994-07-02) 2 July 1994 (age 29)
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England
Home townMilton Keynes, England
Darts information
Playing darts since2010
Darts23g Dynasty Signature
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO2012–2020
PDC2019–2024
WDF2012–
Current world ranking(WDF W) 8 Decrease 6 (5 September 2022)[1]
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'shipRunner Up: 2015
World MastersRunner Up: 2014
World TrophyWinner (1): 2018
Finder MastersWinner (1): 2015
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'shipLast 32: 2020
UK OpenLast 160: 2020
Grand SlamQuarter Final: 2021
Premier LeagueChallenger: 2020
World Series FinalsLast 16: 2021
Other tournament wins
Girls World Masters 2012
WDF Girls World Cup 2011
BDO Gold Cup 2015, 2017
Belfry Open 2018
British Classic 2013, 2015
British Open 2021
British Pentathlon 2015
Bruges Open 2018
Denmark Masters 2015, 2019
Denmark Open 2019
England Matchplay 2018
England National Ch'ships 2015, 2018
England National Singles 2021
England Open 2015
French Open 2015
Helvetia Open 2018, 2019
Isle of Man Classic 2020
Isle of Man Masters 2020
Isle of Man Open 2018, 2020
Japan Open 2015, 2016
Jersey Classic 2013
Jersey Open 2012, 2013
Las Vegas Classic 2024
Las Vegas Open 2024
PDC Women's Series 2020, 2021 (x6), 2022 (x3), 2023 (x5)
Scottish Open 2017
Slovak Open 2018
Swiss Open 2017, 2018
Tops of Ghent 2014
Vauxhall Festival 2023
WDF Virtual Cup 2020
Welsh Classic 2022
Welsh Masters 2018
Women's World Matchplay 2022
Other achievements
2023: First ever woman to hit a 9 darter at a PDC event, and first ever woman to hit a televised 9 darter.

Fallon Suzanne Michelle Sherrock[2] MBE (born 2 July 1994[3]) is an English professional darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Born in Milton Keynes,[4] Sherrock reached the final of the 2015 BDO Women's World Darts Championship, where she was runner-up to Lisa Ashton.

In 2019, Sherrock became the first female player to win a match, and subsequently, two consecutive matches, at the PDC World Championships, first by beating Ted Evetts 3–2 in the first round, and then Mensur Suljović 3–1 in the second round, before eventually losing 2–4 to Chris Dobey in the third round.[5] The event saw her earn the nickname "Queen of the Palace" from the name of the venue, the Alexandra Palace.[6]

During the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts, Sherrock became the first woman to reach the last 16 of a mixed gender major darts tournament, after she beat Gabriel Clemens 5–3 in her final group stage match. She then went on to beat Mensur Suljović 10–5 in the last 16, to reach the quarter-finals and become the first woman in darts history to do so. She was beaten in the quarter-finals by Peter Wright 13–16. In 2022, Sherrock won the inaugural Women's World Matchplay.[7]

Darts career

Early career

Sherrock was born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.[8][9] She began playing darts at the county youth level at the age of 17;[10] her mother Sue and her father Steve had played the game on a recreational basis.[9][10] She played for the Bedford Darts Organisation, and represented the England Youth team in the girls' singles division at the 2011 WDF Europe Cup Youth tournament.[9]

Sherrock was the Girls World Masters winner in 2012,[11] along with the Women's Jersey Open,[12] before following it up with success in the Women's British Classic in 2013.[13] After finishing her A-level examinations, she opted against studying forensic science at university to focus on playing darts.[8]

She appeared at the BDO World Championship for the first time in January 2014, where she made the Quarter Final.[11] She beat Rilana Erades in round one by 2 sets to 0,[14] and was just eliminated in the quarter-finals by reigning champion Anastasia Dobromyslova.[11]

Sherrock improved on her debut performance by reaching the final of the 2015 BDO Ladies World Championship after she beat Dobromyslova 2–1 in the semi-finals at Lakeside, setting a world championship record by hitting five 180s in the semi-final.[15] Sherrock lost 3–1 to Lisa Ashton in the final, but still impressed and hit six 180s in what was her first World Championship final.[16]

2019–2021

On 17 December 2019, Sherrock became the first woman to beat a man at the PDC World Championships, beating Ted Evetts 3–2 in the first round at the 2020 World Championship.[17] She followed this up with a 3–1 win over 11th seed Mensur Suljović in the second round, before losing to 22nd seed Chris Dobey 4–2 in the third round.

On 31 December 2019, Sherrock withdrew from the 2020 BDO Women's World Championship due to 'unexpected changes' to the event.[18]

Sherrock was also invited to participate in German channel ProSieben's pro-am doubles event Die Promi-Darts-WM (Celebrity Darts World Cup) just after the World Championships alongside Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Max Hopp and just-crowned world champion Peter Wright at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn.[19] Sherrock partnered with former Italy striker and World Cup winner Luca Toni and went 1-3 during the event.[20]

Sherrock competed for a tour card at the 2020 PDC Q School, but was unable to secure one. On 1 February 2020, Sherrock won the Rileys Wolverhampton qualifier for the 2020 UK Open, meaning she would make her debut there. She lost to Kyle McKinstry from Northern Ireland 6–1 in the first round.

She took part in the 2020 Premier League Darts as a 'challenger',[21] appearing at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on 13 February 2020, where she drew 6–6 against Glen Durrant.[22] She failed to qualify for the 2021 PDC World Championship, losing out to Deta Hedman on legs difference.[23]

Sherrock has faced hateful comments online after her PDC matches of 2019, but said she learned how to use the feeling to perform better; "If I'm feeling a bit slouchy, I'll look at some of the comments and I'll be like: 'OK, now I need to prove you wrong.''[24]

In September 2021, Sherrock reached the final of the 2021 Nordic Darts Masters. In the first round she defeated Niels Heinsøe 6–1. She then had a walkover in her quarter-final match against Gerwyn Price, who withdrew due to an elbow injury. In the semi-finals she beat world n°5 Dimitri Van den Bergh 11–10, after initially trailing 9–3. She eventually lost to Michael van Gerwen 11–7 in the final (although having led 6–3). Sherrock is the only woman in the history of the PDC to have reached the final of a TV tournament.[25] Just a week off her run to the Nordic Masters final, Sherrock competed in the first 2021 Women's Series events. Though she lost to tour card holder Lisa Ashton in the last 16 of the first event, she won the next two events with 5–2 and 5–3 victories over Corrine Hammond and Deta Hedman respectively.[26] The second day saw Sherrock losing to Lisa Ashton in the finals of both events 4 and 5, before whitewashing the 4-time World Champion in the final of the sixth event. This let Sherrock maintain her place at the top of the ranking table and secure her debut at the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts.[27]

2022

In October 2021, Sherrock qualified for the 2022 World Championship, after ensuring a top-two finish in the PDC Women's Series.[28] She lost 3–2 to Steve Beaton in the first round.[29]

From June to August 2022, Sherrock competed in the invitational World Series of Darts. At the US Darts Masters she lost 6–2 to Leonard Gates in the first round. At the Nordic Darts Masters, she beat Darius Labanauskas 6–1 before losing 10–6 to Michael Smith. At the Dutch Darts Masters, she lost 6–1 to Maik Kuivenhoven in the first round. At the Queensland Darts Masters, she lost 6–3 to Gordon Mathers in the first round. At the New South Wales Darts Masters, she reached the quarter-finals, losing 6–0 to Gerwyn Price. At the New Zealand Darts Masters, she lost 6–5 to Kayden Milne in the first round. She was also invited to the World Series of Darts Finals, losing 6–4 to Peter Wright in the first round.

In July 2022, Sherrock won the inaugural Women's World Matchplay, beating Katie Sheldon and Lorraine Winstanley to reach the final, where she defeated Aileen de Graaf 6–3.[30] The win meant that Sherrock qualified for the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts.[31] At the Grand Slam, Sherrock was eliminated in the group stage after losses to Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall and Alan Soutar.

2023

Sherrock appeared to have missed out on qualification for the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship after finishing third in the PDC Women's Series. However, the PDC subsequently announced that Sherrock had qualified for the event by virtue of winning the Women's World Matchplay, a decision which attracted criticism from some darts fans due to the mid-season rule change.[32] At the World Championship, Sherrock was drawn to face Ricky Evans in the first round. After winning the opening set, she went on to lose 3–1.[33]

In January 2023 Sherrock entered Q School. On the last day of the first stage of Q School Sherrock qualified for stage two by defeating Terry Winfield, Aaron Wood, Lee Davies, Colin Osborne and Steven Beasley. However, a 6–3 final day loss to Robert Collins meant she failed to win a tour card.

Later in 2023, during her 5–-3 victory over Marco Verhofstad, Sherrock became the first woman to hit a nine dart finish at a PDC event.[34]

On 29 July 2023, Sherrock produced a 107 average during the quarter finals of the 2023 PDC Women's Series. the previous record for the highest 3 dart average was 101, to which Sherrock previously held.

On 25 August 2023, Sherrock made history again, as she hit a televised 9 dart finish against Adam Lipscombe, during the Modus Super Series, thus becoming the first ever woman to hit a televised 9 darter.[35]

In December 2023, Sherrock played in the 2024 PDC World Darts Championships, and was eliminated in a first round losing effort against Jermaine Wattimena, the score finishing 1-3 in sets to Wattimena.[36]

2024

Sherrock entered PDC UK Q-School for the fifth time in her career.[37] She managed to qualify for the final stage during the second day by defeating David Davies, Ryan Hogarth, Adrian Gray, Paul Redfern, and Brett Claydon after previously losing on the opening day to Kai Fan Leung.[38][39][40] During the final stage, Sherrock lost her opening round to Harry Gregory on the first day;[41][42] she gained a point before losing to eventual winner Robert Grundy on the second day;[43][44] on day three, she lost in the opening round again to Justin Hood;[45][46] and on the final day, she was eliminated during the opening round by Ashley Coleman 6–3 to end her run.[47][48][49]

World Championship results

Sherrock during 1.Mannheim Darts Gala in 2022

BDO

PDC

Career finals

WDF / BDO major finals: 5 (2 titles, 3 runners-up)

Legend
World Championship (0–1)
World Masters (0–1)
World Trophy (1–0)
Finder Darts Masters (1–1)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score[N 1]
Runner-up 1. 2014 Winmau World Masters Russia Anastasia Dobromyslova 1–4 (l)
Runner-up 2. 2015 World Darts Championship England Lisa Ashton 1–3 (s)
Winner 3. 2015 Finder Darts Masters Russia Anastasia Dobromyslova 2–1 (s)
Winner 4. 2018 BDO World Trophy England Lorraine Winstanley 6–3 (l)
Runner-up 5. 2018 Finder Darts Masters England Lisa Ashton 1–2 (s)

PDC World Series finals: 1 (1 runner-up)

Legend
World Series of Darts (0–1)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 2021 Nordic Darts Masters  Michael van Gerwen 7–11 (l)

Career statistics

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Prel. DNQ DNP NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Prel.) Preliminary round; (DNQ) Did not qualify; (DNP) Did not participate; (NH) Not held

Performance timeline

Tournament 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
PDC Ranked televised events
PDC World Championship Non-PDC DNQ 3R DNQ 1R 1R 1R
UK Open DNQ 1R DNQ
Grand Slam of Darts DNQ QF RR RR
PDC Non-ranked televised events
World Series of Darts Finals Not held DNQ 1R 2R 1R DNQ
BDO Ranked televised events (Women)
BDO World Championship DNQ QF F 1R QF QF QF DNP NH
BDO World Trophy NH SF SF 1R 1R W 1R Not held
Winmau World Masters SF F SF 2R 5R 4R 3R Not held DNP
Finder Darts Masters DNP RR W RR DNP F Not held

Personal life

Sherrock has a son, born in 2014.[50] Her twin sister Felicia also plays darts and the pair represented England Youth at the WDF Europe Cup Youth in 2011.[9] In 2017, Sherrock had treatment for a kidney problem. This caused her face to swell up, for which she received online abuse.[51] The condition made her teetotal and she is required to drink water regularly to keep her kidneys cleansed.[10] Sherrock is currently in a relationship with PDC pro tour player Cameron Menzies.

Sherrock was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to darts.[52][53]

Nine-dart finishes

See also: Nine-dart finish
Fallon Sherrock nine-dart finishes
Date Opponent Tournament Method Prize
18 March 2023[a] Marco Verhofstad Challenge Tour 9 3x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 N/A
25 August 2023[b] Adam Lipscombe Online Darts League 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12
  1. ^ Non televised event
  2. ^ this was a televised event

Notes

  1. ^ (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets.

References

  1. ^ "WDF Women's Rankings Table". WDF. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  2. ^ "King's Birthday Honours: Sarah Hunter and Ian Wright among those included". BBC Sport. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Fallon Sherrock Official Site". Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  4. ^ Halliday, Josh (22 December 2019). "First woman to beat a man at PDC world darts overwhelmed by response". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  5. ^ "PDC Darts Championship: Fallon Sherrock loses to Chris Dobey in third round". BBC Sport. BBC. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  6. ^ Fallon Sherrock's 2020 2nd Round Walk-On Professional Darts Corporation on Twitter]
  7. ^ "Super Sherrock wins inaugural Betfred Women's World Matchplay title". PDC.tv. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b Broadbent, Rick (10 January 2020). "Fallon Sherrock: 'We'd beat men more often given the chances'". The Times. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d "City darts twins are double tops". Milton Keynes Citizen. 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Bloom, Ben (18 December 2019). "Meet Fallon Sherrock, the ex-hairdresser changing the face of darts". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  11. ^ a b c Gorton, Josh (21 December 2019). "Introducing Fallon Sherrock: Darts' new superstar". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Sherrock the torchbearer for women's game". Betfred. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  13. ^ Steel, Adam (28 November 2013). "Glen Durrant and Fallon Sherrock impress but Colin Osborne is out". TeessideLive. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Arrows ace Fallon wows at Lakeside". Milton Keynes Citizen. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2020 – via Gale OneFile: News.
  15. ^ Green, Jim (10 January 2015). "Anastasia Dobromyslova bows out in BDO World Championship semi-finals". CheshireLive. Reach. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  16. ^ Cartwright, Phil (10 January 2015). "BDO World Darts: Lisa Ashton wins women's Lakeside title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  17. ^ Shamoon Hafez (17 December 2019). "PDC Darts Championship: Fallon Sherrock beats Ted Evetts to make history". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Fallon Sherrock: Briton pulls out of BDO Women's Championship". BBC Sport. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  19. ^ Weltmeister Wright und Sherrock kommen nach Bonn (German) by Alexander Hertel General-Anzeiger Bonn
  20. ^ Fallon Sherrock & Luca Toni vs. Phil Taylor & Daniel Boschmann | Promi Darts WM 2020 ProSieben on YouTube
  21. ^ "Challengers confirmed for 2020 Unibet Premier League". PDC. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Fallon Sherrock falls just short of more darts history on Premier League debut". Guardian. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Fallon Sherrock misses out on PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace". BBC Sport. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  24. ^ McRae, Donald (10 February 2020). "Fallon Sherrock: 'All the hate just makes me more determined' | Donald McRae". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  25. ^ Smale, Simon (20 September 2021). "Trailblazing women's darts star Fallon Sherrock reaches first PDC Tour final at Nordic Masters". ABC. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  26. ^ "SHERROCK WINS BACK-TO-BACK PDC WOMEN'S SERIES TITLES WITH VICTORY OVER HEDMAN". Darts News. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  27. ^ Phillips, Josh. "Sherrock books Grand Slam debut with third Women's Series title". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  28. ^ Allen, Dave. "Sherrock & Ashton secure William Hill World Darts Championship return". PDC. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  29. ^ "PDC World Darts Championship: Fallon Sherrock beaten by Steve Beaton in first round". BBC. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Women's World Matchplay Darts: Fallon Sherrock wins inaugural title in Blackpool". Sky Sports. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  31. ^ Walters, Mike (24 July 2022). "Fallon Sherrock makes history again as she wins first Women's World Matchplay". mirror. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  32. ^ "World Darts Championship 2022: Fallon Sherrock's inclusion slammed by fans". MSN.
  33. ^ "Sherrock beaten in first round of Worlds by Evans". BBC Sport.
  34. ^ "More history for Sherrock with nine-dart finish". BBC Sport.
  35. ^ "Fallon Sherrock makes more history with televised nine-dart finish". Sky Sports. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  36. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/dec/17/pdc-world-darts-luke-humphries-bests-lee-evans-to-reach-third-round
  37. ^ Wood, Kieran (7 January 2024). "Full list of UK Q-School 2024 participants including John Henderson, Devon Petersen, Fallon Sherrock, John Part and Richie Burnett". Darts News. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  38. ^ Wood, Kieran (9 January 2024). "Fallon Sherrock and Andy Hamilton among winners on Day 2 of first phase at UK Q-School". Darts News. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  39. ^ "Fallon Sherrock joins Andy Hamilton in final stage of PDC Q School to maintain hope of earning tour card". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  40. ^ "Fallon Sherrock vs. Kai Fan Leung - DartConnect Recap". DartConnect. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  41. ^ Wood, Kieran (11 January 2024). "Steve Lennon & Martijn Dragt first PDC Tour Card winners at Q-School 2024 (liveblog closed)". Darts News. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  42. ^ "Fallon Sherrock vs. Harry Gregory - DartConnect Match Report". DartConnect. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  43. ^ Wood, Kieran (12 January 2024). "Robert Grundy and Jelle Klaasen secure PDC Tour Cards on Day 2 of final phase at Q-School (liveblog closed)". Darts News. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  44. ^ "Fallon Sherrock vs. Robert Grundy - DartConnect Match Report". DartConnect. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  45. ^ Wood, Kieran (13 January 2024). "Leighton Bennett and Andy Baetens take victory as Haupai Puha and Jules Van Dongen secure Tour Cards via Order of Merit on Day 3 at Q-School (liveblog closed)". Darts News. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  46. ^ "Fallon Sherrock vs. Justin Hood - DartConnect Match Report". DartConnect. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  47. ^ "Fallon Sherrock vs. Ashley Coleman - DartConnect Match Report". DartConnect. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  48. ^ Wood, Kieran (14 January 2024). "Dramatic final day at Q-School sees the final Tour Cards handed out! Recap all the action here! (liveblog closed)". Darts News. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  49. ^ "PDC Q School: Dom Taylor, Jeffrey de Graaf final winners as Fallon Sherrock's quest for 2024-25 card ends". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  50. ^ Bloom, Ben (18 December 2019). "Fallon Sherrock creates history by becoming first woman to beat a man at PDC World Darts Championship". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  51. ^ "Fallon Sherrock: World Championship history-maker says women need more chances". BBC Sport. BBC. 18 December 2019.
  52. ^ "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B24.
  53. ^ "Sherrock awarded MBE in kings birthday honours list". PDC.tv. 16 June 2023.

External links

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