"It's a shame they make you choose. I think it's stupid" - Beau Greaves slams PDC's World Championship rule

Beau Greaves didn't manage to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts. The 20-year-old Englishwoman finished bottom in the group, despite an impressive 5-1 win in her final group game against Cameron Menzies. Still, she leaves Wolverhampton with a good feeling.

Greaves had lost her first two group matches to Danny Noppert and Martin Schindler, respectively. In her final group match though, she showed signs of her true capabilities averaging over 95 to outclass the in-form Menzies. "I was a lot more relaxed in the game. I played like a plonker in my first game (against Noppert). Cammy is such a nice lad. We were chatting a lot. It was an enjoyable game on the stage," she reflected in her post-match press conference. “I need to start pushing myself to get better. I had gone stale. In 2025, I will do more stuff, play better and get more consistent. I have been inconsistent this whole tournament."

Although she's long been the dominant force in the women's game, Greaves has limited her chances to play the men on the PDC stage. “It would benefit me if I am open to playing more stuff. I want to be a better darts player and more comfortable on the stage. It’s hard when you are not used to playing all the top players all of the time," she explains. "After Sunday’s match, where I didn’t play well, I felt I would get beaten before I went on the stage. I know I have the game to do better. I’d love to be at the standard to play the men all the time. At this stage, I don’t think I can.”

"I have enjoyed playing here [at the Grand Slam] this year more than last year. I know my results aren't quite as good, which is annoying, so it's about playing better players and making myself hardened," Greaves adds. "I would like a Tour Card at some point, I just don't know when. I'm not in a rush and there is nothing wrong being happy where you are in your life and what you've done. I have won a hell of a lot of darts tournaments so I want to do it in my own time. That's my whole attitude to the game: appreciate what you've done and where you've been to get it. I've been through hard times so I'm not going to be too hard on myself after this weekend."

Greaves starts as the defending champion at the WDF Women's World Championship at Lakeside at the end of this month. As in previous years, Greaves opts to play the WDF Worlds and not the PDC's World Darts Championship at the Alexandra Palace. "I think it's a stupid decision by the PDC," Greaves says of being forced to make a choice. "The ladies' game is massive to me. I wanted to be a women's world champion and I got that at Lakeside, so I can't not go back. I don't know why people would think I wouldn't do that."

"The game is not just made up of me, Fallon [Sherrock], Lisa [Ashton] and whoever. There is a whole bunch of us that need to get better. Hopefully other ladies can get involved and back each otherI don't really want me to do that well. I just want the the ladies' game to get bigger and bigger. I am more for that sort of stuff. They deserve it. As nice as the men are to watch on telly, there is room for the ladies. There are 100, 200 players who want to play but don't think they are good enough for the men's game. I want to make sure I am flying the flag for them who don't get mentioned," she concludes. "It's a shame they make you choose [Ally Pally or Lakeside]. I don't understand that, I think it's stupid. I'd love to do both. I wouldn't win Ally Pally but I'd give it a good crack and see if I played well - but ultimately I want to be a ladies' world champion."