"She's always been Fallon the trailblazer": Beau Greaves taking spotlight will help Sherrock says Laura Turner amid Q-School setback

Albeit perhaps over discussed in relation to others that didn't make it through Q-School, Fallon Sherrock lost all of her opening games after qualifying to the Final Stage of the darting lottery this past week in Milton Keynes through the Women's Series.

But in the view of Laura Turner, 2026 will be a year that Sherrock can regroup and rediscover her 2019 form not under as much of a spotlight as she has endured previously.

Dubbed The Queen of the Palace for her Alexandra Palace exploits where she is still the only woman to beat a man at the PDC World Darts Championship, Sherrock who is now an MBE such was her impact became an overnight sensation in a shift not seen apart from Luke Littler and was the precursor perhaps to The Nuke's global superstardom.

But with this has come added pressure and also criticism in certain junctures levied at the overhyping of Sherrock post this achievement. Even this past week, Sky Sports ran with her not winning her Tour Card on their news channel which was criticised over the likes of Charlie Manby even who was a bonafide Ally Pally success story only weeks prior.

Turner though sees Q-School though as something that will allow her to bounce back though and not hinder her with Sherrock already playing in MODUS Super Series this week as she aims to get back to her best already also ahead of Women's Series next month.

"It's a difficult one when it comes to Q-School. It's tough. Unfortunately it didn't go her way this time around, but I'm confident she'll bounce back," said Turner to Sky Sports.

"She's already back on the oche, she's playing down in Portsmouth this week at a women's week at the Modus Super Series, so the fact she's not lingering over the results and is bouncing back so quickly is a really positive thing."

But Sherrock compared to others has dealt with other issues which nearly prompted her to walk away from the sport at least momentarily for a year. Albeit she received good news which has meant that she doesn't need to take that step back.

Battling kidney disease, this has seen facial swelling and water retention meaning Sherrock not only battles not being 100% but also not looking herself on occasion. But this good news Turner said can only be a good thing for her practice and also game play.

"With Fallon, she's spoken quite openly a few times that she has had issues with health [kidney disease] which have then restricted her opportunities to play in as many events as she'd like, and also to probably dedicate as much time and practice, because quite often she's not 100 per cent, she will be tired.

"Events on the PDC side of things, the Women's Series, Challenge Tour, they are quite exhausting. They are long days when you are there and it's long consecutive days. I think she's very much aware of that. She's had positive news with regards to her health this year and I think in 2026, she's looking to hit the practice board a bit more and start rebuilding.

"There is a lot that players deal with away from the oche which fans don't realise, and some are quite happy to openly talk about it. Fallon has, in her own time, spoken about the struggles she's had away from the oche. And then it's bound to have that knock-on effect, that impact on the way you perform. The fact you don't even have as much match practice, you haven't been playing as many tournaments, so you're just not match-sharp, you're not quite match-ready. I think that's probably where Fallon is at the moment. She's just looking to address those problems now that she's had some more positive news about her health."

Over the years Sherrock has battled the weight of expectation that came with being the focal point of women's darts and Beau Greaves has since taken that mantle on and now being on the PDC ProTour and becoming the first since Lisa Ashton - albeit with a higher current ceiling, Turner said this will help Sherrock.

In particular with taking some of the pressure off and allowing her to play instead of being the one who flies the flag for the sport both on and off the oche.

"Fallon will be a player that says she likes to go under the radar, but obviously her 2019 exploits at the World Championship and backing it up with the run to the quarter-finals at the Grand Slam as well, she was always in the spotlight.

"She will always have a weight of expectation when she turns up, especially when she goes back to Alexandra Palace, but I think now what's starting to happen is you've got the likes of Beau Greaves, who's going to be on the PDC Tour in 2026.

"People are talking about Greaves a little bit more, and I think Fallon's quite happy with that because then the spotlight's not all on her. It was a lot of years that she's been flying the flag for women's darts, and she's done a fantastic job at that. She's always been Fallon the trailblazer.

"But I think if the spotlight's off her slightly, then perhaps that just gives her a little bit more leeway in terms of how it goes with so much of the press and noise and other things you have to do away from the oche. Maybe it will allow her to just focus a bit more on the darts in hand.

"For me, if we've got that 2019 version or even a better version of Fallon Sherrock that we can get back into the game, then it's always a positive. I've got no doubt that she will get back up to those kind of levels."