"I was devastated, I cried for a week": Lorraine Winstanley still refuses to re-watch heartbreaking Lakeside final loss

Lorraine Winstanley has spent over 30 years in the game, lifting some of the sport’s biggest trophies and inspiring a new generation of women players. But one moment still haunts her.

“I was devastated. I cried for a week,” she recalls, reflecting on her 2019 Lakeside World Championship final loss to Mikuru Suzuki. “It meant that much. It’s the only thing I haven’t achieved. I still haven’t watched the final back. I just can’t do it.”

Winstanley, speaking on the Tungsten Talk at the MODUS Super Series, opened up in emotional and honest fashion — revisiting both her proudest moments and deepest disappointments from a life in darts.

Winstanley entered the 2019 Lakeside tournament as the number one seed, having just claimed the World Masters title. But in the final, Suzuki delivered one of the most eye-catching debut performances the stage has seen.

“On paper, Mikuru and I were quite closely matched — she maybe had the edge on stats, but there wasn’t much in it,” Winstanley said. “I thought, ‘Raise your game — you’ve got nothing to lose.’ But she just raised the bar. I didn’t play badly. She just played better.”

Winstanley even joked about one surreal moment in the final: “I actually wanted her to hit the nine-darter. I thought, ‘Get it out your system, fall to bits, and I’ll swoop in!’ But none of that happened.”
Despite the heartbreak, she holds her place in that final — and the company she keeps — with pride. “It’s still a lovely ring to it: ‘World Championship finalist’. Deta [Hedman], Fallon [Sherrock] — they’ve reached finals and not crossed the line. So it’s not a bad bunch to be part of.”

Winstanley’s rise in darts didn’t come through academies or early-stage competitions — it started behind a pub bar in Buxton, where women weren’t even allowed on the team.

“I worked in a pub and was itching to play for the darts team, but they said, ‘No, we don’t have women in the team,’” she remembered. “Then one night they were short, and I said, ‘I thought you didn’t have women in the team?’ They said, ‘It’s better than giving a game away.’ So I played. And I said, ‘If I win, you don’t drop me.’ I don’t think they expected me to win. But I did.” From there, Winstanley went on to captain that same pub team before progressing into Super League, county darts and eventually the international stage. "There weren’t many women playing back then, but we just wanted to get involved. It just stemmed from there.”

Her proudest career moment came in 2017 at the World Masters — a title she still remembers with crystal clarity.

“I remember how heavy the trophy was! They said, ‘Lift it,’ and I was like, ‘I’m trying!’” she laughed. “Hearing, ‘Game, shot, and the match’ — it was like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve just won the Masters.’ One of the highlights of my career, without a doubt.”

Shortly afterwards, she reached the pinnacle of the rankings as women’s world number one. “Being world number one was never really on my hit list, I like to set achievable goals,” she said. “I wasn’t even looking at the rankings. So when I got there, it was just a bonus.” Though she can’t remember exactly where she was when she found out, it’s a milestone that still makes her proud. “I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’m super proud of that.”

For all her achievements, Winstanley still considers Lakeside the most magical venue in darts.

“Driving through the gates for the first time, I had goosebumps. It was surreal,” she said. “And every year I went back, I got the same feeling — it was like coming home. There’s no stage like it. It can make or break a player. Every year, no matter what your form is, you go in thinking, ‘This is going to be my year.’”

She remembers being inspired by Trina Gulliver while watching the TV in her local pub — long before she believed it could become reality. “I remember watching Trina and thinking, ‘I can do that. I want to play there one day.’” And eventually, she did — making it all the way to the final.

Now, Winstanley balances playing with a key role at Target Darts, helping to manage the Elite 1 programme and support the company’s growing network of youth academies.

“I help run the academies and scout new talent,” she explained. “I take a lot of pride in watching the youngsters come through. They’re the future of our sport.”

She says the rise of players like Luke Littler is changing perceptions of darts for good. “He’s done what Fallon did for the women — he’s made darts cool,” she said. “We’ve got kids coming into the academy whose families don’t even play darts. They’ve just seen Luke on TV and think, ‘I want to do that.’ What he’s done is unbelievable. If I’ve played a tiny part in somebody’s journey, then job done. I’m proud of that.”

Despite her shift into mentorship and development, Winstanley still has personal goals in the game. At the time of her interview, she was clinging on to the final qualifying spot for the Women’s World Matchplay — with just one weekend of events remaining. “I’ve been in this position before,” she said. “I’m working and practising hard to try and qualify. That’s as far as I’m planning — we’ll talk about what’s next after June!” She did qualify from there losing out early but she got to Blackpool.

Her own playing calendar may have become more selective, but Winstanley is always ready to compete — especially when the MODUS Super Series calls.

“I love coming here,” she said. “It’s great for women’s darts. It gives exposure to new players and showcases the strength we have. I might not play week in, week out anymore, but I’ll always say yes when I get the call. I’m loving every minute.”