“I just felt a bit like everybody wanted me to lose”: Deflation not elation for Beau Greaves describing Women’s Series struggle

For the third time, Beau Greaves is a Women's World Matchplay champion. She battled hard throughout the day before squeezing over the line in a dramatic last-leg decider against Fallon Sherrock, winning 6-5 and continuing to assert her dominance in the women's game as she switches her focus to the PDC Tour with bigger things to come.

'Beau 'n' Arrow' was pushed all the way by Sherrock. After breaking to go 5-3 ahead, it seemed that she had one hand on the trophy. Nevertheless, Sherrock broke back and forced a decider. Greaves kept her cool and pinned double 10 for a 56 checkout and more Women's Matchplay glory at the Winter Gardens.

Last year, Greaves failed to retain her title following a surprising semi-final exit against the eventual champion Lisa Ashton. There were no such problems this time around as she squeezed through those earlier ties enroute to more glory in Blackpool. Speaking to media afterwards, including DartsNews.com, the 22-year-old shared her joy and relief after returning to the top step of the podium.

"It feels really good," she began. "Obviously it was disappointing not to win it last year, but I'm not saying I played amazingly this year - I just did enough to get through the games. At the end it was a bit of relief, really, and I'm chuffed to be fair. I'm really happy."

That defeat was just the motivation she needed to return and make things right. "In a way, yes. I know I win a lot on the Women's Series, but I also get beaten. It's not as if I've just been winning everything without losing. Maybe that actually helped because I didn't have the pressure of coming in unbeaten. I just tried to play my own game and enjoy it as much as I could. It's stressful up there and I definitely felt a bit tight in places, but I just got on with it and got through."

The final itself was a spectacle of high scoring, clutch finishing and dramatic legs. With both players not producing their best stuff, especially on the outer ring, Greaves was able to take her chances and it proved dividends in another thriller against the 'Queen of the Palace.'

"To be fair, we always seem to have decent games. It's very rare that we play poorly against each other," she acknowledged. "Maybe Fallon went a little under the radar this tournament. People were talking about her, but perhaps not in the same way they were a few years ago. We had a good final the other year as well. Whenever I play Fallon, I know I've got to play well. She's Fallon - I know exactly what she can do. Winning the bull helped me a lot because if she'd won it, she'd have had the throw first and it could have been a very different match."

As the number one seed and overwhelming favourite for glory, the events did not go against the odds in the end but a similar fate to last year would have been a devastating blow for Greaves amid her recent domination on the Women's Series. "Probably. When I lost last year I was devastated, but I also thought, 'It's darts, it happens,'" she recalled.

"This year I tried to stay positive and almost forget about last year. I've got my Tour Card and I'm the favourite for a reason, and that's not a bad thing. Sometimes I get into my own head thinking about the pressure. Having my family here really helped because I could look over to them when things weren't going so well. Like I said, I don't think I played amazingly, but I played well enough to win and I'm really happy with that."

Admittedly, she was a firm believer that her floor game is currently better than what she is producing on stage. Greaves will soon have another chance to test her skills in front of a huge crowd with a brace of European Tour events on the horizon for her in another new experience, but it seems that she has tamed the Winter Gardens stage pretty well.

"Honestly, I don't think my stage game is that good. At the minute I seem to play better on the floor, but that's something I've got to get used to," she said while stating that it affects all the women. "It's tough for all of the women because we're trying to perform at our best in an event that only comes around once a year. You feel that pressure and if it doesn't happen, you've got to wait another year. But I enjoy the challenge. Even when I'm not playing well, I still enjoy it because it's darts. I've played it for so long and I know how it goes. I love the stage and I really love this tournament."

She labelled the pressure as a 'privilege' with her maturity on full show ,relishing the chance of being the one to beat on the oche. "I've started to realise that pressure is actually a privilege. I used to think expectations weighed on me and that I had to play brilliantly all the time. Today I just thought, if I don't play that well but still win, that's great. At the end of the day, people remember who won. Nobody looks back and remembers what Lisa Ashton or Fallon Sherrock averaged when they won. I need to remember that. It's difficult because you always want to play well, but I was just happy to get over the line."

Over the past few years, women's darts has hit new and unprecedented heights. It is a nod that today's final had two trailblazers in the form of Greaves and Sherrock who in turn have played their part. The arena was sold out today, a huge step in the right direction.

When asked if she was the driving force behind that, she was not so convinced. "I don't know. Rhian told me before I went on stage that it had sold out and I thought, 'That's really good.' It's definitely a step in the right direction. It's positive. We all want more tournaments and more opportunities, but the standard has to improve and interest has to keep growing. If selling out the event is something we're talking about as players, then that's obviously a positive. We definitely want more."

However, her involvement in the women's game is becoming less apparent with the switch over to the PDC Tour. While this opens up a gap for the other competitors to capitalise on, it can be a huge hole with many darts enthusiasts wanting to watch Greaves compete.

Following her success on the ProTour, the Women's Series is becoming less tantalising. "It's tough really," she said. "I've tried to focus more on the men's side since getting my Tour Card. After the last Women's Series I felt a bit deflated because I didn't really enjoy it. I felt like everybody wanted me to lose.

"After that I thought maybe I should just concentrate on playing better darts against stronger opposition and improving my ranking. The women's game can become a bit stale because you're working towards one event, and once you get there there's nothing else to aim for. I still love the women's game, but my main goal now is the men's circuit. I really enjoy the challenge that comes with it."

As forementioned, Greaves will compete in both the upcoming Hungarian Darts Open and Czech Darts Open later this year, debuting on the European Tour while becoming the first women to compete.

On top of that, she has already on a Players Championship title while regularly making deep runs on the floor against the best players in the world. "Winning a ProTour really boosted my ranking," she commented.

"I'm enjoying the challenge of qualifying for these events. It'll be an achievement just to say I've played on the European Tour, but I don't just want to play - I want to win and do well. I know I've still got a long way to go before I'm consistently competitive with the men, but I know I can do it. I just need to work hard enough and believe in myself more. Sometimes I doubt myself too much and that gets in the way, but I'm really enjoying the ProTours and I'm looking forward to the European Tour events."

Two of the biggest sensations in the sport, Littler is looking to regain his World Matchplay title tonight against Gerwyn Price. Both young talents have taken the sport by storm with a number of similarities.

Greaves was asked whether she wants to be the 'female Luke Littler.' "I don't know. He's the best dart player I've ever seen. I'm only 22, but he's unbelievable. He's so talented and so good to watch. I suppose in a way he dominates the men's game and I dominate the women's game, but he's a much better player than me, so I can't really compare myself to him."

For Greaves, it does not matter who she is compared to. Her ambitions are being fulfilled with major involvements in the men's and women's game while, most importantly, enjoying herself playing the sport she adores.

Any talk of greatness was quickly shut down. Honestly, I don't really care. I'm happy playing both the women's and the men's game. I think people will remember me anyway because I've won a ProTour and achieved some good things. Of course it's nice to be remembered as one of the greatest female players, but I've still got a long way to go. We'll see what happens at the end of my career. For now, I just enjoy all of my darts and everything is positive."