SHERR WE GO AGAIN
Fallon pleads: Don’t boo my opponent
FALLON SHERROCK has pleaded with fans not to boo Mensur Suljovic in their rematch at the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts tonight.
The first lady of arrows knocked Suljovic out of the PDC World Championship in a sensational upset two years ago.
And in a delicious twist of fate, Sherrock’s reward for becoming the first woman to reach the Grand Slam knockout phase is another date with the Austrian nicknamed ‘Gentle’ in the last 16.
She will have the crowd in the palm of her hand at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton. But Sherrock does not want partisan support for her to cross the line into naked hostility or booing of Suljovic.
“The crowd have been amazing and I love the buzz that they give me,” said Sherrock. “They are so supportive and I can feel the electric atmosphere every time I walk out. It is absolutely amazing.
“But I want them to be fair as well. I don’t want any booing or anything like that. I’m just really excited to play.”
Sherrock progressed from the group stage with a sensational 5-3 win against German giant Gabriel Clemens on
Tuesday night, fighting back from 3-1 down in a match she needed to win by at least two legs.
With an impeccable sense of drama, she hit a 141 checkout to stay alive before a mind-blowing 170 finish brought the house down.
Tonight she expects to encounter a more fired-up Suljovic than the meek soul she defeated in December 2019, saying: “It is a different format this time to the worlds.
“He might be all guns blazing, so I need to prepare for that. I need to play my own game and expect him to throw everything at me.”
Sherrock, 27, has developed an enviable knack of rising to the occasion and it is now clear her Ally Pally upsets against Suljovic and Ted Evetts were not flashes in the pan.
She went on to hold Glen Durrant – who would go on to win the tournament – to a draw in the Premier League at Nottingham in February last year before lockdown stalled her career.
Then she reached the Nordic Darts Masters final in September, leading
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 before going down 11-7. And her 101.55 three-dart average against Mike de Decker at the Grand Slam on Sunday was the highest recorded by a woman on TV.
She said: “I have always said that I am better on stage than on the floor. I feel really comfortable being up there and taking on these really good players.
“They are pushing me to a new level. It seems like when I am put in a highpressure situation, I perform. I don’t know how I do it – I have no idea. Maybe it just makes me calmer.”