"How much has she won in darts? Do people think that's millions?" – Paul Nicholson says criticism and perception of Fallon Sherrock is unfair after win over Luke Littler
PDC
Fallon Sherrock’s victory at the Netflix event “Beat Luke Littler” sparked considerable debate. The English darts player defeated Luke Littler in a deciding leg and took home a staggering £501,000. Not everyone thought Sherrock should have been allowed to compete in the event, which initially seemed aimed mainly at amateur players. Former professional player and analyst Paul Nicholson has come firmly to her defence.
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Sherrock was one of 24 contestants given the chance to take on the two-time world champion. The task was simple: anyone who could beat Littler in a single leg of 501 would win the huge prize. In the end, Sherrock struck with an excellent 15-dart leg to claim the second-largest prize in darts history. Only Littler himself has earned more, taking home £1 million for his second world title in January.
Sherrock’s participation was already a talking point before the event. The 32-year-old Englishwoman made history in 2019 as the first woman ever to win a match at the PDC World Darts Championship. Since then, she has become one of the sport’s best-known faces. Critics argued that a player with her experience and record did not fit an event meant to give amateurs a unique opportunity.
Nicholson understands why questions have been raised about the line-up, but believes the criticism of Sherrock herself is unfair.
Perfect result for Netflix
The former major winner believes Netflix could hardly have asked for a better winner. “Make no mistake it, Fallon Sherrock being the player to win the money was the perfect result for Netflix due to all the publicity it generated,” Nicholson told Sporting Life. "It also felt written in the stars when you consider that Fallon and Luke are the two players who have transcended popular culture more than anyone else in the past 10 years."
The way Sherrock sealed her victory particularly impressed the Australian. "So, for her to hit that 180 and then hold her nerve on tops after all the hype - both positive and negative - was almost poetic and typically Fallon."
Nicholson also suspects Netflix deliberately played on the debate surrounding her participation. Sherrock had to secure her place in the show through a public vote. "I thought Netflix were quite clever to put her in a public vote. It was almost like saying "Right, you don't want her to be here, then vote her off." Of course they probably knew that wouldn't happen so eventually they did indeed get the match they wanted after Littler beat all those before her."
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The much-anticipated showdown eventually took place after Littler had beaten his earlier opponents. Nicholson has no doubt that Sherrock deserved the prize money. "So did she deserve the money? Yes."
Fallon Sherrock celebrated her victory with her young son Rory.
“People have a completely wrong idea of her financial situation”
Nicholson believes much of the criticism stems from a misunderstanding of the financial opportunities in darts. Sherrock is famous around the world and has even received an honour for her achievements, but that does not mean she is financially secure, he says.
"Sure she's got an MBE and has done incredible history-making things for darts. But if people think she lives a lavish lifestyle then they are solely mistaken. That money will change her life and the life of her son Rory. That's a great story."
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Nicholson points out that Sherrock’s earnings cannot be compared with those of the sport’s elite. Littler’s huge earnings may lead outsiders to form a distorted view of the money in darts. "How much has she won in darts? Do people think that's millions? Do they think the patches on her shirt are worth millions? No, they're worth a few grand."
According to Nicholson, Sherrock still relies on several sources of income to support her career and personal life. "They're enough to keep her and her son going month by month, and she still has to work very hard in the exhibition circuit. She still plays amateur dart circuit events in places like Middlesbrough and Aylesbury."
That, the former professional believes, is what makes her victory so special. While some critics focus on her fame and experience, Nicholson sees someone who has been given a unique chance to secure her financial future.
"She's not a millionaire. This is the biggest pay cheque she's ever going to get. And it's the one chance she's got to change the life for her and her son. And that's the story that should be written, because most people have got this misconception of wealth in this sport because of Luke Littler. But on this occasion, he's the one who created the opportunity for others."
"A lot of us in the sport are chuffed"
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Nicholson does not expect Sherrock’s victory to cause much jealousy among other players. He has known the Englishwoman for around ten years and has built a strong relationship with her during that time.
"A lot of us within the sport are chuffed. Because I know Fallon, I've known her for 10 years and she's a great person. She finds it hard to show her real emotions. It's one of the reasons why she's such a great player."
Nicholson says Sherrock changes completely once a match begins. He even has his own phrase for it. "I always say about Fallon, “glasses on, gloves off". Because when those glasses come on, her face changes."
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That composure was on display in her deciding leg against Littler. Even so, Sherrock could not fully contain her emotions afterwards. She became visibly emotional while speaking to presenter Gary Lineker.
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"However, she did struggle to hold back the tears with Gary Lineker at the end. It was a lovely moment and I think most of the people I've spoken to within the game, they're really, really happy for her, and so they should be."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026