GREAVES PROVING QUALITY OVER GENDER

BEAU GREAVES is changing the narrative in darts and should be judged on quality, not gender.

Beau n Arrow became the first female to reach back-to-back quarter-finals on the ProTour at Players Championship Nine and Ten last week.

The Doncaster thrower also became the first woman to hit a nine-dart finish on the men’s floor circuit and has dominated the PDC Women’s Series, going on a stunning 114-match unbeaten run. 

Pundit Laura Turner believes Greaves’ rise shows the sport is finally shifting its focus, with the narrative moving from novelty to respect at the top level. 

She told Sky Sports: “It’s that double-edged sword, isn’t it? Because we want the publicity, we want the role models, we want people to be visible, but be visible for the right reasons – and that’s just the quality of play.” 

Before Greaves, players like Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock helped break new ground in the game. 

Ashton became the first female to win a Tour Card in 2020 and Sherrock was the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship in 2019. 

Turner added: “I remember when Lisa was winning, when Fallon [Sherrock] was winning prior to Beau coming along and doing all these amazing things, it was very much ‘wow it’s a woman playing darts against the men’. 

“And then the narrative started to change. Well, no, it’s just a dart player playing against another dart player. And that’s where, especially at the top level, you want the narrative to become. 

“It was just phenomenal darts when she won in that semi-final against Luke Littler for Beau Greaves and there was nothing more really that needed to be said other than the world No 1 and the world champion had just been knocked out. 

“You don’t want to shy away from the fact that that person is female because you want the role models for young girls to come through.  

“But you also don’t need that to be the only thing that people talk about.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.