"Not only did my head explode, my whole body just gave way": Deta Hedman still pinches herself at finally achieving Lakeside success with sheer emotion at triumph shared

Deta Hedman has built up a considerably positive reputation on the oche after years and years of competing in the sport. Amassing a huge collection of titles, she is continuing to plough on as other top players take the women's game to new heights. Most notably Beau Greaves, who Hedman acclaimed following her recent successes.

Hedman was participating in a charity event for the armed forces, delighted to give up her time to help out and support the charity. "Anything to do with the armed forces—well, any forces whatsoever—I'm always happy to give my time," she told Oche180.

"Before I did the first one in Blackpool, Zara and Foxy asked me if I'd take part, and I gladly jumped at the chance. Before that, I used to do Headley Court with Target Darts, and I loved it. It's so good to give something back to the people who go out there and put their lives on the line so that we can be safe, because not many of us would do that kind of job, in fairness.

"I often think to myself, if we still had the thing where, at a certain age, you had to go into the army, how would I have fared? The people who choose to do it, I take my hat off to them, and I'll do anything to help because, as I say, they put their lives on the line so that we can live as best we can. I love doing it."

Darts has become a very popular sport in all aspects of life, including in the armed forces where there is a sense of fun surrounding it. "I'm glad it's taken off within the armed forces as well because there are some very good players serving. Long may it continue, so everyone can come together and raise money for very, very good causes.

"Darts is one of those sports where you don't have to be brilliant. As long as you can keep three darts in the board, you can enjoy it. It's such good fun. The camaraderie, the mucking about—it's why I love all of this. We all come together as one family. We all appreciate each other for doing the little bit that we can."

Hedman has been around in the sport for decades. She began in her late teens in the 1970s and has since built a prosperous and glorious career, winning numerous titles and accolades.

However, one of the big catalysts was from her appearance on the darts show Bullseye, in a time where darts was flourishing with a golden generation. "Well, it's like most elite sports—golf, tennis, cricket and rugby to a point—it's all about TV, isn't it?" she said. "Back in the 80s and 90s, darts was booming, then it took a lull, and then Luke Littler came along and just knocked it out of the park. Now there's so much for grassroots youngsters to get involved with."

All these years, one title evaded her grasp. Finally, at the end of 2025 Hedman was crowned as a world champion. After so many years of trying, she eventually got over the line in the WDF World Championship following a 4-1 win over Lerena Rietbergen at Lakeside.

"When I hit that double, my word... it was, "I've finally done it," she recalled. "Then it was, 'Oh my God, you've done it.' The saying is that I'd finally got the monkey off my back. That was exactly how it felt. I thought, 'My God—my fourth final, 16 years later or something like that—and I've finally done it.'

The occasion well and truly got to her. "I hugged Lorraine Winstanley, and then suddenly my legs just went to jelly. Not only did my head explode, my whole body just gave way. I said to her, 'Don't leave me,' so I could settle myself and get my legs back.

"It's unbelievable. I can tell people how it felt, but until you experience something like that yourself, you can't truly understand it. Even now I'm still pinching myself, thinking, 'Did I really do that?' I've got the trophy at home, the proper one, and every day I come home and look at it. Everything was just relief. Finally."

There is still much more to win, even for someone like Hedman who has won more titles than the likes of Phil Taylor. The Women's World Matchplay is one of the biggest tournaments she has ever played in, debuting at the Winter Gardens in another thing to add to her darting CV.

It is up there with her visit to Ally Pally back in 2021, however with a huge difference. "When I won one of the Women's Series events and qualified for the World Championship, that was during COVID. The day before they were allowing an audience into Alexandra Palace, and then when I got there, there was no crowd. It was a little surreal."

This was something that she did not expect to qualify for. "The Matchplay honestly wasn't really on my horizon. I've always said I just love playing the PDC events to see if I can pick up a few shekels. I like winning a bit of money, putting it back into the next tournament and keeping myself going.

She explained how she qualified for it, being aided after winning Women's Series 11 which boosted her into the top eight. "The week I won one of the Women's Series events, we had the Six Nations the following week, so I was always going to play there. My partner, Paul James, said to me, 'To get into the Matchplay, you'd have to do well—but it'd be nice if you could win one.'

"I just laughed and said, 'Yeah, alright then, Paul. I'll just go and tell everybody to lie down!' Seriously though, that day I played really, really well. When I looked at the table afterwards, I said, 'Oh my God, Paul. Normally you tell me to do things and I never do them!'

"During the Six Nations, Rhian O'Sullivan was there as well, and everybody kept coming over to tell us how the rankings looked. I was really pleased Rhian qualified too. There's no better feeling than standing on a stage representing your country. It changes everything. I absolutely love it. I get tingles. It would have to be some very, very good money for me not to play for my country."

Hedman was questioned whether she would return to Lakeside to defend her title if the prospect of competing at Ally Pally in the PDC World Darts Championship was an option. The discussion directly turned to Greaves as she praised the darting sensation.

"To be honest, while Beau Greaves is in that tournament, we're all playing for second place," she admitted. "Don't get me wrong—on our day, we can beat anybody. I know where my game is. I know I can produce some good games, some good legs, and I can also produce some absolute shockers. But with the form Beau is in, you'd have to play something completely out of this world."

She acknowledged that her title run last year was helped by Greaves opting for Ally Pally instead. "I'm grateful she didn't play Lakeside because, in all honesty, if she'd been in that field, I don't think I would have won it. I'd have given it a good go, but she's just totally awesome. Absolutely awesome."

Looking ahead to the Matchplay, Hedman will not have to face her until possibly the final if they both make it that far. "Luckily she's in the other half of the Matchplay draw, so I'm just taking one game at a time and trying to go as far as I possibly can," she said. "If I lose in the first round, it doesn't matter—I can still say I've played in the Women's World Matchplay. That's another box ticked. That's always been my approach since I came back to darts. I like playing tournaments I've never played before, visiting countries I've never been to, and seeing if I can win a title."

Greaves has been labelled as a trailblazer following her transition to the PDC, becoming the first women to win a PDC ranking title after taking home Players Championship 11 in a tight 8-7 win over former world champion Michael Smith.

Hedman continued her lavish praise of the 22-year-old, putting her in the same bracket as world number one Luke Littler. "She's just one of those special people who comes along very, very rarely. It's the same as when Luke Littler came along a couple of years ago, and he's still producing it. Beau is exactly the same.

"Maybe in another five or six years another girl will come through, but right now it's only when Beau has an off day that any of us can get near her. She's young, she's hungry, and her body is fit. Later on, when you get into your late 40s and 50s, your game changes."

Even if it meant getting beat to her every week, Hedman would be fine with that just to keep seeing Greaves performing at the highest level. "It's up to Beau what she wants to do. She might carry on doing what she's doing now, or one day decide she's had enough and wants to try something else. I just hope she keeps playing and carries on beating everybody—even me. I don't care. I just love seeing her win. I really do."