Beau Greaves beat Luke Littler to reach the World Youth Championship final, only to see his dreams shattered by Jan van Veen at Minehead.
Defending champion Van Veen, who lost to Krzysztof Ratajski in the main draw of the Players Championship on Saturday afternoon, averaged 96.55 points and hit six of her 10 doubles to defeat women’s series champion Greaves 6-3 at Butlins Resort.
The Dutchman became only the second player to defend her title, ending Greaves’ hopes of becoming the first female winner of the tournament.
Van Veen successfully defends World Youth Championship with Minehead
In the six-leg race, Van Veen, competing in his third consecutive World Youth Championship final, opened with a 14-dart throw hold before Greaves showed his class with a double eight pin.
Van Veen, who averages close to 104, didn’t miss the treble 20 and set up 24 with a brilliant 161, hitting a double 12.
The Dutch star then defeated ‘Beau and Arrow’ in the next leg, hitting his first 180 and double 16, and a crucial 86 combination at the top to take a three-place lead and establish a 4-1 cushion.
Van Veen completed his 114th attempt with a double top and closed the gap by allowing Greaves to hold the throw with a double eight, before stepping up and beating his opponent in the next leg.
But 23-year-old Van Veen sealed the deal with a stunning 118 checkout, punishing five missed darts in doubles to push him to the brink of victory, despite Greaves leaving a 96 with just nine darts.
“I’m very happy. I’m really happy to retain the title,” said Van Veen, who is also second to Luke Littler in 2023.
“I’m the second player after Dimitri (van den Bergh) to hold the title and when I look at Dimi’s successes since then, including winning the World Match Play and the British Open, I think they’re encouraging signs for me.
“Obviously, I won my first major title a few weeks ago, but we all know Bo is a great player, so this gives me a lot of confidence heading into the World Championship.
“Ally Pally hasn’t been my favorite hunting ground. I haven’t won a match there yet, but I’m a completely different player than I was 12 months ago, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
“This weekend gave me a lot of confidence. Not only did I beat Bo, but I also beat Luke Humphries on Friday, so I hope this is my year.”
Van den Bergh won back-to-back World Youth Championship titles in 2017 and 2018 respectively, with Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael Smith also on the World Youth Championship honor roll.
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Watch Greaves unleash five consecutive legs to defeat Nico Springer in the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton.
Greaves has already won the 2025 Women’s Series, racking up 86 consecutive wins and 13 consecutive wins, and finished second on this season’s Winmaw Development Tour, earning her a PDC Tour card for the next two years.
She reached the World Youth Championship final, defeating world champion Littler in the semi-finals, before returning to the World Darts Championship in December.
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Polly James and Chris Murphy assess how greaves affect PDC circuits…
Gary Anderson has tipped Greaves will pose a big problem on the Pro Tour circuit in 2026 as she takes the next step in her darts career, with the Scottish player backing her to prove what she can do at darts’ top table.
“She’s great, right? I pulled out just about every stop I had to win that match,” Anderson said after a recent match. “She’s going to cause a lot of problems on the circuit next year. She’s great.
“So far, (she’s) the best female player. Until someone else comes along, yeah. I’d say that. I know Fallon (Sherlock) and Lisa (Ashton) are great players, but Bo is a little different.”
Greave for Premier League in 2026?
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Abigail Davies and Chris Murphy discuss whether Greaves should be included in Premier League talks on Love The Darts
Former world champion Raymond van Barneveld will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from December 11 and hinted at Greaves a Premier League place if he takes part in the World Championship at Alexandra Palace.
Greaves said ahead of Darts’ Grand Slam that he “wouldn’t say no” to Premier League qualification, but Michael van Gerwen believes it’s too soon despite the 21-year-old’s talent.
“Yeah, Raymond has been talking a lot about bad things in his life, but it’s too early,” Van Gerwen said.
“Of course she has the talent to do it, but she should first adapt to the tour before she joins the Premier League, because some people have lost their lives in the Premier League before.”
Greaves admitted that was unlikely, saying: “I can’t imagine getting into the Premier League unless we do something crazy[in the World Championship]. But I can’t say no.”
“People say a lot about the Premier League and it’s a bit flat and boring. But I always watch it every week so it would be great to play there. I don’t think I deserve it considering all the other players who could be in, but it’s nice that people are saying good things about me. I think it’s very flattering.”
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