Beau Greaves has taken the title at the Women's World Matchplay for the second time in her career after a 6-3 win over
Fallon Sherrock in the final at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Sunday afternoon, as the two biggest names in ladies' darts provided a top quality contest.
For Sherrock, the route to the final included a whitewash win over Anastasia Dobromyslova and an incredibly dramatic semi-final over Lisa Ashton, surviving 7 missed matchdarts from the 'Lancashire Rose' in the process. Greaves meanwhile, saw off Katie Sheldon in the opening match of the afternoon before defeating Mikuru Suzuki in the semi-finals.
Although both had been markedly below their best en route to the final, the nervousness seemed to have evaporated in the early stages as Greaves broke the throw in leg 1 before storming to leg 2 and taking her average to around the 110 mark. Sherrock was far from playing badly herself though, and thanks in part to her second 180 of the contest already, got off the mark in leg 3 with a 13-darter. With a 14-dart break of the throw in the following leg, Sherrock was back on level terms.
With the standard continuing to be incredibly high, Greaves broke the Sherrock throw again in leg 5 with a 15-darter finished on double 10. Still averaging up over 104, Greaves then held in leg 6 to move back to two legs clear. Back to back 180s in leg 7, finished off with a 75 checkout and the world champion was one away from defending her title and threatening a record high average for a woman on TV.
Despite Greaves having the darts in the next leg, Sherrock fought back and kept herself alive at 5-3 behind. As Greaves' level began to dip ever so slightly, Sherrock was sensing an opportunity but it wasn't to be as Greaves sealed her second successive World Matchplay title with a final average of 98.75 and four 180s, with 60% on the doubles.