Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)

FALL OR NOTHING

MVG warns the Pink Princess: You are not a real winner yet

- BY MIKE WALTERS @Mikewalter­smgm

CLOG almighty Michael van Gerwen has delivered the first serving of ‘bah, humbug’ to history girl Fallon Sherrock’s Christmas miracle.

Jingle belle Sherrock’s stunning wins against Ted Evetts and world No.11 Mensur Suljovic at Alexandra Palace have turned a hairdresse­r from Bletchley into an internatio­nal celebrity.

Three-time champion Van Gerwen says he is not surprised by the Pink Princess becoming the first woman to beat male opponents at the PDC World Championsh­ip.

But although he respects what she has done, MVG warned: “She has not won anything yet.”

The Dutchman, who is odds-on favourite to wear the crown for a fourth time on New Year’s Day, said the battle of the sexes could only be won by tangible success, not just a festive fairytale.

Sherrock, 25, has slashed her odds of lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy from 2,000-1 rank outsider before the tournament to as little as 100-1 among nervous bookies.

But Van Gerwen is not shouting her odds from the rooftops yet, saying: “She is doing quite well.

“With her averages and double checkout percentage­s she is changing women’s darts.

“But she hasn’t won anything yet, and if you are going to play in a tournament with the men you are going to be treated like the men.

“Everyone makes a big deal of it but I’ve known all along what she is capable of, so for me it’s not a big thing.”

Chivalry may not be dead but Van Gerwen is not ready to roll out the pink carpet just yet.

He added: “I’m not interested about giving her advice – I’m here for myself, to win the world championsh­ip, and whatever she does I don’t really care.

“It’s great for her and the sport because of all the attention darts has been getting, but whatever Fallon does, whatever Gerwyn Price does, it’s not in my hands.

“I don’t need to slip under the radar. I’m the world champion and I like to stand up for myself. This is a game where you have to play only for yourself.”

Worryingly for his rivals, the Dutchman has reached the last 16 at Ally Pally without firing on all cylinders.

His 4-0 win in just 30 minutes against ‘Rapid’ Ricky Evans on Sunday night had the air of two men with a plane to catch.

Van Gerwen said: “I could have done a bit better but 4-0 is not too bad.”

Next up is former Lakeside champion Stephen ‘The Bullet’ Bunting, who has lost his last six meetings with the formidable Dutchman in their major TV clashes.

Van Gerwen grinned: “I’m going to make it seven. He may be playing better than he has for a while but I’m still going to beat him.”

So much for a new name on the trophy, whether it’s a woman or the ‘Bullet’.

Bah, humbug.

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