Three-time women’s world champion Beau Greaves will face World Cup winner Darryl Gurney in the first round of the World Darts Championship on Friday, but the 21-year-old is now more confident of matching her obvious talent.
Last year, Greaves withdrew from competing in the World Darts Championship and instead focused on winning her third consecutive WDF Women’s World Championship, saying in October 2024: “I know I’m not keen on playing against lads on TV. I don’t feel like I can win it.”
She added at the time: “People say I’m stubborn, but I know how good I am and what I am most of the time. It’s that consistency that counts, and most women don’t have that consistency to be able to compete with men.”
A year on, Greaves, who beat Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson in recent Grand Slams of darts, will replace her at the 2025 World Championships. She will be offering tests to Northern Irish gurneys.
The talented Greaves now has more belief and confidence than ever before in his career.
“You have to go into the tournament believing, otherwise there’s no point in being there,” Greaves told the media. “My whole perspective on it has changed a little bit.
“I still think it’s incredibly difficult to play against them (male players) on a big stage and be really competitive. But what I kind of realized was that I wanted a tour card. I really didn’t want that at the time (of my previous comment). I just wanted to be a ladies darts player.”
“When I proved myself wrong and started playing a little bit better and beating better players, I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I can do it full-time.’
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Greaves came agonizingly close to a sensational victory over Michael van Gerwen at the Grand Slam of Darts after missing a match dart in the deciding final leg
“I said something different, but I just said the same thing because I know a lot of women aren’t interested in playing men. So I think that comes from there as well.”
“I wasn’t playing with a lot of confidence at the time either. I didn’t really believe in myself, so it was a negative interview, but I was proven wrong a little bit and changed my mind.
“Women get more exposure by being able to play against big players and big names on a regular basis. When it comes to world championships and Grand Slams and things like that, that’s probably why you don’t play as well against men because you only get two chances a year and you’re just thrown into it a little bit.”
“It’s always weird when people talk about you and put you in the spotlight, but it’s nice, it’s positive and I’m looking forward to playing. I’m just trying to take everything at my pace and focus on darts.”
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Highlights of the Grand Slam of Darts group stage match between Gary Anderson and Greaves. The latter forced the final leg decider in another great contest
Asked if she now believed a woman’s name could one day appear on the world championship trophy, Greaves said: “Absolutely not.”
“I don’t think it’s impossible, but I think one of us would probably have to do very well,” she said.
“I think all the ladies that are playing have the game to do it and doing it consistently in longer formats is probably something we need to get used to.
“I think it will put a stop to it a little bit, but I can never say never. I can’t imagine it happening anytime soon, but you never know.”
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Greaves hits five consecutive legs to defeat Nico Springer in the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts
Will Greeves be able to follow in Sherlock’s footsteps?
Greaves has been making waves since making her PDC Women’s debut in 2023 with Wayne Mardle calling her “world class”. Sky Sports pundit Laura Turner hopes Greaves can follow in the footsteps of Fallon Sherlock, who made history by becoming the first female player to win a match at the 2019 Alexandra Palace tournament.
“We know she has the ability to outrun anyone,” Turner said. “You can see it in the recent World Championships, Youth World Championships. She defeated Luke Littler 6-5 in the semifinals. Luke Littler, No. 1 in the world!”
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Abigail Davies and Chris Murphy discuss whether Greaves should be included in Premier League talks on Love The Darts
“She also did well at the British Open, beating Pro Tour players and cornering Luke Humphries in the long-distance format. I mean, she definitely won the match, but you can’t ignore Gurney either. He’s a proven major champion.
“This is a fight that could go either way. Of course, I expect Beau to follow in Fallon’s footsteps, because we know she has the potential to go really far, and I truly believe that.”
“I can’t wait to see her on the Pro Tour next year, but this won’t be an easy first match for either of us.
“We saw her go on the Development Tour, go on the Challenger Tour, win titles on floor, qualify for Grand Slams and completely obliterate most players in the women’s series. She’s on an 86-game winning streak in that regard as well.”
“She’s been doing it bit by bit since she suffered from dartitis a few years ago. That’s a distant memory now and she’s just improved herself. I think there’s a lot to admire about the way she’s done it. There’s a lot of young players out there now who feel like they have to compete to get to the top of their game because I’ve seen that happen. Bo has done that gradually and she’s done it in a way that suits her situation and I think that’s great. – I can’t wait until next year!”
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky Channel 407) from 11th December. Stream darts and other top sports now.
