Can the Queen of Darts lift the crown?
Arras sensation Sherrock dreams of Ally Pally shock
FALLON SHERROCK will go down in darts history as the hairdresser who was a cut above.
As the first lady of Alexandra Palace surfed the shock waves of her “battle of the sexes” win against Ted Evetts at the William Hill PDC World Championship, she even allowed herself to contemplate the unthinkable.
Could a 2000-1 rank outsider from a hair salon in Milton Keynes actually win the tournament?
“I can dare to dream,” she giggled. “Definitely.”
Hours earlier she had been serenaded by fancy dress hordes reciting the football-style refrain, “We love you Sherrock, we do.”
With a guaranteed minimum £15,000 prize money for reaching the second round – 25 per cent more than she would receive for winning the rival BDO ladies world title outright – she is already in clover.
Next up for the first woman to beat a man at the worlds is a Saturday night date with world No.11 Mensur Suljovic.
She gained 4000 new followers on Twitter within half an hour of the winning dart against Evetts. And sponsors are suddenly falling over themselves to be associated with the new Queen of Darts.
As a full-time mum the 2015 Lakeside ladies World Championship finalist doesn’t have any time for combs and clippers now having catapulted women’s darts from the fringes into the middle ground like a centre parting.
Sherrock, 25, has suffered the odd chauvinist barb about women being weaker than the men and she revealed she has even been called a “lesbian” by the trolls.
But she said: “At least one barrier has come down – they can’t say anything now because we’ve beaten the men at the World Championship.
“I’m so glad my five-yearold boy is going to grow up looking at the newspaper cuttings and thinking, ‘Wow, my mum did this’.
“I’ve made history and I’ll probably be the answer to a quiz question in future. I’ve played in a World Championship final but this is even bigger because it’s put ladies darts on the map.
“I hope I’ve inspired more girls and women to take up the sport.
“When my head hits the pillow will I dare to dream that I can win this? Probably. Obviously I’m going to take each game as it comes and not look too far ahead. I’m sure Mensur will be ruthless but I can dare to dream. Definitely. Why not?”
I hope I’ve inspired more girls and women to take up the sport
FALLON SHERROCK