ROBYN’S ON BOARD FOR THE BIG TIME
Rising star one of many women taking up sport
IRELAND’S Robyn Byrne could be on the verge of a massive breakthrough this summer as women’s darts takes to Sky Sports.
The TV giant plans to screen an eight-player tournament featuring stars such as Fallon Sherrock, Lisa Ashton and, hopefully, Japanese professional Mikuru Suzuki.
Right now, and having secured invites to all the upcoming qualifying competitions, Byrne has the seventh ticket.
Make no mistake, this is a 24 yearold Irish sports star with a big, big future ahead – this could be Katie Taylor, Rachael Blackmore, Kellie Harrington territory.
“I started playing when I was at home,” says Byrne simply. “I was literally three or four and I’d be plaguing my dad Joe ‘can I throw, can I throw…?
“Eventually, he was ‘go on’ and he let me throw one of his darts and then I graduated to throwing three, and eventually when I got a bit older I was okay to throw by myself!
“I started playing and entering tournaments when I was still under-18, playing against mostly boys until I was probably 15 or 16.
“And because I was playing against the boys, when I then went into the women’s game, it was less pressure.”
Winning
Byrne has shown she could handle the big occasion from a very young age, in particular winning the u-18 European Youths, singles and doubles, in Austria when she was 14.
She is also a two-time Six Nations and European Cup finalist, three-time Youth Europe Cup gold medallist and, as an 18 year-old and playing in one her last under-age tournaments, she proved she had arrived by winning the World Masters.
As such she was blazing a trail for others, showing the way. Robyn’s friend and often-time doubles partner is young and talented too – Katie Sheldon.
“Katie, who also plays with me for Dublin, is only 18 and she’s very, very good.
“If we are playing singles at events we’d be hoping that’s the final although that isn’t going to happen every time and, besides, it could happen we open on the same side of the draw.”
Sheldon has a burgeoning under-age darts CV, two silver medals in World Cups while she made an even bigger splash winning the 2019 Masters Girls championship.
Byrne says she she has always been fascinated by the challenge, the darts, the scoring permutations, the span, the dartboard and, of course, when she was younger beating the boys!
“I always had the attitude it was a challenge and specifically loved the face off against the boys “I used to love beforehand where they’d go ‘aw no, I’m playing Robyn’ and the face on them when they’d get beat by a girl.’’
Byrne may be aiming towards playing a lot more against the likes of Sherrock, Ashton and Suzuki but she doesn’t see darts as a separate women’s sport.
“I’m part of a development project called the Magnificent 19 alongside Lisa (Ashton), Fallon (Sherrock), Anastasia (Dobromyslova-Martin) and Mikita (Suzuki).
“It is a women-only team and they pick what they think are the best 19 women at the time and I’m proud to be involved with that team.”
But the Blanchardstown-born belle wants to compete alongside the men and there are no rules stopping her.
“I personally play a lot of men’s darts. A lot of the women don’t, and won’t, but I have no problem.
“I play men’s tournaments all the time. I play men’s Open singles, I play on two or three men’s pub teams.
“The men’s standard is obviously better than the women’s at the minute but I feel if you play against the men more often you will only get better.”
Byrne’s ‘mixed’ teams are operating at the highest level in Ireland.
“I play in town for The Bell Pub in Thomas Street. I have played in Wicklow for The Woodpecker. I’ve been playing in a men’s singles league with The Workman’s Club in Inchicore.
“It is good because then when you do go into a big tournament you are used to it. Like if you get on stage and there’s 100 people watching, you are already used to it because you used to stand in a pub with all the lads shouting at you. And the more they shout at you then when you hit the double it is even better!”
Byrne biggest ‘run’ to date came in one of the Sky Sports qualifier events.
“The first four of what will be eight women’s events as the qualifiers for July’s Sky Sport tournament were last month and in the first event I got to the last 16,’’ she said.
“Then in the second event I won seven games and was playing the legendary Lisa Ashton in the final. She ended up winning three of the four events that weekend.
“She only beat me five-three and it was only one break of throw in the end so I didn’t mind losing too much. But I know I have enough to beat her so it didn’t get me down...it has actually encouraged me for that next time.”