Trailblazing darts star Fallon Sherrock believes her run to the final of the Nordic Masters is a greater achievement than her history-making performance at the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Championship.
In December 2019, Sherrock became the first woman to win a match at the world champs, defeating Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic before being eliminated in the third round. She was the fifth lady to ever compete in darts’ most prestigious tournament.
Due to the pandemic, Sherrock’s opportunities have been limited but over the weekend, the 27-year-old got another chance on the big stage and became the first woman to reach a televised PDC Tour final at the Nordic Masters.
Sherrock had to work hard to reach the final, battling from 7-1 down to defeat World No. 5 Dimitri Van Den Bergh 11-10 in the semis before facing Michael van Gerwen in the final. She led the Dutchman 6-3 in the decider before he showed his class to claim his first title of 2021 with an 11-7 win in front of 4000 raucous fans in Denmark.
“The world champs were a big thing for me, but this tops it a little more,” Sherrock told Extra Time with Riccardo Ball on SENZ.
“Purely because of my comeback in the semi-final against Dimitri and then pushing Michael in the final.
“I’m so proud of myself. I was able to show the world that I can play darts.”
After her history-making performance run at the world champs, Sherrock asked to compete in all the PDC’s World Series events in 2020, which included two events in Australia and one in New Zealand, but COVID-19 has seen competitions postponed for the last two years.
Plans are in place to return in 2022 with the New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand Darts Masters scheduled for August, although there is no guarantee Sherrock will be on the plane down under, although she did make a strong case to be included on the trip.
“I was disappointed when the pandemic hit because it cancelled my plans, as it was a dream of mine to visit Australia and New Zealand,” Sherrock said.
“Fingers crossed I get the privilege to go when things open up again.”
Sherrock’s quest to compete at a second world champs begins this weekend at the Women’s Super Series, where the top two ranked ladies after 12 events will earn the right to compete at Ally Pally later this year.
One thing Sherrock is enjoying about competing on the big stage is facing more men, who are slowly adapting to playing against women in the bigger events.
Last year, reigning World Champion Gerwyn Price spoke about how difficult it can be facing a female player because guys don’t want to come across as being arrogant or bullies.
Price, who is known for loud cheers and exuberant celebrations on the stage, toned it down when he faced two-time women's world champion Mikuru Suzuki at the Grand Slam last year, but Sherrock says the men shouldn’t change who they are because they’re facing a woman.
“That’s how Gerwyn plays. That’s how he motivates himself which is funny because away from the board he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll meet,” Sherrock said.
“He probably felt he shouldn’t do that, when in fact he should do that because it shows respect because you’re playing a dart player, not a woman.
“I noticed that when I played Michael. He was giving it his all and he was treating me like a dart player, not a woman which I really respect.”