Nicholson believes more than one female winner likely at PDC World Darts Championship this year: "Pick two out the three as anything is possible"
PDC
Paul Nicholson in his columnist role for Sporting Life joined them for a preview ahead of the PDC World Darts Championship which kicks off tomorrow (December 15) with Ally Pally set to kick start Dartmas.
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Gerwyn Price is top seed heading into the showpiece and Nicholson believes that there is reason for the doubts that many have going into this tournament with Michael van Gerwen the standout favourite.
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"When you look at what he's done over the past few seasons, he has won in Europe, he's won on the floor, he's won majors but this year maybe not as prevalent as he has been," said Nicholson on Sporting Life's preview show.
"Let's face it, he's the number one seed for a reason as over the last two years he's won more ranking money than anyone else but there are questions due to the position he's in.
"He hasn't won as many tournaments as he has done in previous years so we're automatically thinking he's not the favorite for the title and of course he's in the same section as Raymond van Barneveld who famously beat him in the Grand Slam last month so for that reason a lot of people are tipping outside of that quarter."
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Noppert gunning for Premier League contention
In the same quarter is Ryan Searle and Danny Noppert, with emphasis on the latter. Despite winning the UK Open, many in the sport see 'The Freeze' as potentially joining Nicholson and Rob Cross on the 'did not play in the Premier League despite winning a major' conversation but 'The Asset' is tipping the Dutchman who has had the best year of his darting career to force their hand.
"Anyone who says that isn't the game of the year between Dirk and Ryan Searle they can have a word with me. Ryan has had the exact same year that you've mentioned, good at the start, he's had opportunities in the middle of the year he didn't take them but his form is trending in the right direction.
"You just wonder if his preparation is going to be as good if not better than someone like Danny Noppert. He's won the UK Open and there's this huge grey cloud hovering over, will they be in the Premier League next year. He needs to do something at this championship to be part of that elite and I think he with that motivation is going to come through."
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More than one female player winning a match?
All eyes will be on Fallon Sherrock, Beau Greaves and Lisa Ashton at the World Darts Championship and Nicholson believes there is a real possibility that more than one woman wins for the first time.
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"A lot of people are talking about Beau Greaves and I think the way we are looking at her against Willie O'Connor is the right way because she has never played in front of a crowd like this before. She's got an amazing amount of experience for someone under 20 but this is all about her first round game.
"Lisa (Ashton) has played here many times but has never won a match, there is a great deal of speculation from a lot of experts in the sport that this will be the championship where more than one woman wins a match. It could be Ashton, Sherrock or Greaves, pick two out the three as anything is possible."
"She's doing more than anyone in the world at the moment in their portion of the sport. Nobody in the male game is having that kind of dominance because of the amount of players that can reach the heights. She's reaching new heights and setting new records."

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.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- 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









