Beau Greaves has been quietly dominating the women’s darts scene over the past few years, but there has been no hiding her momentum since defeating Luke Littler in the semi-finals of the World Youth Championships.
Littler has surprisingly become the face of the sport since reaching the final of the PDC World Darts Championship in 2023 at just 16 years old. So every time he loses, it gets attention.
But Littler’s loss to Greaves has rightly focused attention on the three-time women’s world champion, who will compete in the Grand Slam of Darts, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
But after Littler’s sudden rise, questions now stand as to whether Greaves can do the same and earn a coveted spot in the Premier League next season.
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Polly James and Chris Murphy assess what impact Beau Greaves could have on the PDC circuit if he accepts his tour card. Hear the full discussion on the latest Love The Darts podcast
“Obviously I’ve watched the players develop so it’s nice (to receive praise from top players),” Greaves said.
“I can’t imagine playing in the Premier League unless I do something crazy[at the World Championship]. But I won’t say no.”
“Maybe that’s a little too much for me. But it would be kind of exciting, wouldn’t it?”
“Some people say the Premier League is a bit monotonous and boring, but I always watch it every week so it would be great to play in it.”
“I don’t think I deserve it considering all the other players who could be there, but it’s nice that people are saying good things about me. I think it’s very gratifying.”
The impetus was for manager Raymond van Barneveld to back the 21-year-old, who could qualify for the Premier League if he performs well at the World Championships after earning his PDC Tour Card, which guarantees him a two-year stint on the Pro Circuit starting with the start of the 2026 season.
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Beau Greaves defeats Kirsi Vinikainen in Women’s World Match Play quarter-final
“First of all, I’m very proud of her, you know, what she’s doing. She beat me 6-4. She beat Luke Littler in the semifinals of the World Youth Championship,” said Van Barneveld, a five-time world champion.
“That says it all. An 11-dart finish on the final leg! How amazing is that? And believe me, she’s going to cause trouble at the Pro Tour next year.”
Greaves was also praised by world number one Luke Humphries, who had the disgrace of leading 7-5 at the British Open before losing. Mr Humphreys said Mr Greaves “belongs to the big time of darts”.
A battle of the sexes – or is it?
Greaves was drawn into Darts’ Grand Slam ‘Group of Death’ along with Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Nico Springer. The tournament begins on November 8th live on Sky Sports.
Greaves’ first match will be against three-time world champion Van Gerwen, who tweeted in 2017 “no” when asked if he thought there would ever be a female player who could compete with the top male players.
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Michael van Gerwen ended his two-year wait for a top-level PDC title by defeating Luke Littler in Amsterdam this year
When asked what she thought of his comments about playing MVG for the first time, she explained that it didn’t matter to her and also insisted that “it’s just darts.”
“I don’t really care who I play, and I think that was the case a few years ago, and it was the same last year,” she said.
“I was trying so hard to win and it didn’t happen. So I’m literally going to go in with an open mind and try not to get too negative.”
“I didn’t realize how negative I had been over the last few years, so I’m just trying to be positive and happy and enjoy the game.
“Of course, if you enjoy practicing and working hard, I think the results will come. It’s great to win and do great, but I also know how incredibly difficult it is.”
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