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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Beau Greaves 'can't win' as darts superstar weighs up huge career decision
Following the Women's World Matchplay, which she is the overwhelming favourite to defend, Beau Greaves must decide whether to grace Alexandra Palace or the Lakeside Beau Greaves faces a can't-win decision as she gears up to defend her Women's World Matchplay title. The 21-year-old, who previously competed in the 2022/23 PDC World Championship, has chosen to participate in the WDF Women's World Championship in recent years. Due to stringent PDC regulations, she is unable to compete in both tournaments, forcing her to make a tough choice. However, with her continued dominance in the women's game, boasting three WDF world titles and two PDC World Matchplay crowns in her trophy collection, it seems increasingly likely that she will return to Alexandra Palace this year. Lorraine Winstanley, who will also be part of the Women's Matchplay field on Sunday, supports this move, believing it is time for the Doncaster thrower to challenge herself on the sport's grandest stage once more. "It's a really difficult decision for her and she'll upset people whatever she chooses," said Winstanley. "At the end of the day, the decision is hers. Personally, I feel like she should be looking to do the PDC this time. "If she was on the verge of winning nine [women's] World Championships and challenging Trina [Gulliver] for the record [of 10], it might be different. But considering where she is in her career, I think it's time for her to make that change. Ultimately, it's up to her and she's got to do what's best for her." Winstanley believes that Greaves' exceptional talent is elevating the entire standard of women's darts. She added: "She's just on a whole different level to all the other women. "Across the board, the bar has been raised. Everybody is playing better darts because everybody wants a piece of the action. You've got to play better. And she's lovely. She's such a chilled person. For such a young girl, she's got such a lot of experience. She's really interesting to talk to." Greaves will begin her title defence at the Women's World Matchplay against Finnish newcomer Kirsi Viinikainen when the fourth edition of the £25,000 tournament takes place at the Winter Gardens on Sunday. Eight players have qualified through a 12-month Order of Merit based on PDC Women's Series prize money from 28 events since last July, with Greaves returning to Blackpool as top seed. Winstanley will take on second seed Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who will be making her third straight Winter Gardens bow. Meanwhile, Fallon Sherrock and Laura Ashton will both extend their perfect attendance records in Blackpool, with 2024 finalist Sherrock drawn against debutant Gemma Hayter. The remaining quarter-final will pit four-time BDO women's world champion Ashton against Ireland's Robyn Women's Matchplay victor will secure a spot at November's Grand Slam of Darts and the 2025/26 World Darts Championship, alongside a top prize of £10,000.
Scottish Sun
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Luke Littler shows off new look for World Matchplay Darts as fans are left divided
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LUKE LITTLER has left fans divided with a new look for the World Matchplay Darts. The Nuke takes on Ryan Searle in his round one clash in Blackpool. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Luke Littler has shown off his new look Credit: PDC 2 He had his previous shirt since last year Credit: PA Littler, 18, however, has ditched his iconic shirt that he has worn since last year. The teenager has kept his traditional purple and yellow but with a new design. The new shirt features yellow paint strokes on the sleeves with a main purple body. However, the nuclear logos have been removed from the body, as has the yellow panelling under the sleeve. And fans have been left split with the Warrington thrower's new kit as they took to social media. One posted: "Definitely prefer the last one." A second wrote: "I don't see the difference." A third commented: "I can't decide if it's class or grim." JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS A fourth said: "More yellow looks really nice." Another added: "I actually really like that." Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler as he warns sensation he can 'go from hero to zero quick' Littler has recently admitted that he "knows what he has done for the sport". The teenage prodigy has risen to become one of the best at the oche since his emergence at the 2024 PDC World Championship. He has already won multiple titles and will be hoping to add to them at the World Matchplay Darts. Peter Wright has already been knocked out despite rocking a more reserved look.
Scottish Sun
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
‘I know what I've done for the sport', says Luke Littler with 18 year old ‘becoming bigger than darts itself'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LUKE LITTLER has admitted he knows what his impact has had on the sport of darts. The teenage prodigy has risen to become one of the best at the oche since his emergence at the 2024 PDC World Championship. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Luke Littler knows what he 'has done' for darts Credit: PA 3 The teenager has become the biggest name in the sport since his emergence Credit: Getty 3 He has already won the world championship Credit: Reuters Littler, 18, has already laid claim to multiple titles, including becoming the world champion earlier this year. The Warrington thrower is already a firm favourite with most darts crowds, and the sport has grown massively since his introduction. The Nuke has not only enjoyed success in darts but has seen his wider profile grow too. He was named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in December - the first ever darts player to win the award. READ MORE ON DARTS WRIGHT OR WRONG Wright shocks fans with new look as he sports tame mohawk and no beard He has seen his social media following grow to almost two million on Instagram alone. The star has also signed sponsorship deals with brands such as Xbox and McDonald's. Littler is aware of his success and admitted that he knows what he has done for the sport. He told Front Office Sports: "There's not a lot of time to look back on what I've achieved. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS "But deep down I know what I've done. "I know what I've done for the sport, and I know what I've done for myself. Gerwyn Price runs rule over Luke Littler and Luke Humphries' England's World Cup of Darts flop "And it's not slowing down one bit." Littler's impact has been well documented and PDC CEO Matt Porter believes that he is becoming bigger than darts itself. He added: "We always penetrated the sports media world quite well, but Luke's been of interest to wider media. "Whether it's entertainment or media aimed at young people. "Luke transcends the sport." Luke's impact on darts is clear to see in the hike in the prize money available to players. The PDC announced there would be a massive increase in cash prizes in 2026. This includes the landmark £1MILLION prize for the next winner of the world championship. This is double the £500,000 that Littler got his hands on earlier this year for beating Michael van Gerwen in the final in January.
Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Luke Littler 'annihilated' World Matchplay star's husband aged 12 after savage prediction
Women's World Matchplay star Lorraine Winstanley recalls seeing her husband lose to a 12-year-old Luke Littler before going on to work with the 2025 world champion Luke Littler 'annihilated' a PDC Tour star at the age of 12 to fulfil his pre-match prediction. Female darts star Lorraine Winstanley has recalled her first encounter with Littler, now 18, at a tournament on the Isle of Man. Her husband Dean Winstanley, who hit a nine-darter at the PDC World Championship in 2012, was the player who suffered the drubbing after The Nuke had confidently predicted a one-sided victory. Lorraine, who will be part of the Women's World Matchplay on July 27, recalled: 'He's absolutely annihilated my husband on the Isle of Man. I can't remember the format but whatever it was, Dean's leg tally was zero! 'I think Luke had said to him, 'I'm going to beat you 3-0.' And Dean was like, 'Yeah, alright mate,' but he did! He wasn't saying it in a cocky way, it was a statement, 'I'm going to beat you 3-0.' That's my first memory of him. 'I've known Luke a long time because we then played for England together. He's a lovely lad from a lovely family. He's just brilliant, isn't he?' Lorraine, as Target Darts' head of youth development, went on to work closely with Target-backed Littler and is proud of what the teenager has achieved in such a short period of time, including winning the world title in January. 'He's done an amazing job for darts across all ages,' said Lorraine, 49, who provides support and mentorship to the 30-odd players in the leading manufacturer's Elite 1 development programme. 'You can speak to anybody of any age and if they've not heard of Luke Littler, they've definitely been living under a rock. 'What Luke has done for the game is what Fallon [Sherrock] has done for the women's side of the game. When she had that really good run at the World Championship [making the final in 2024], it opened up the game to a whole different audience, people who weren't interested in darts. 'With Luke, it's exciting, it's a new face. He's burst onto the scene and he doesn't disappoint, does he? He came through from our Elite 1 programme. He's the perfect example of how the system works and we're on the lookout for the next superstar.' Lorraine is also proud of the way Littler has developed on and off the oche. Having been thrown in at the deep end with various media and commercial demands, he is now a more assured figure compared to the shyer teenager he was a couple of years ago. 'He has grown massively in his ability to deal with the media because he was thrown into the spotlight. I think he dealt with it really well,' said Lorraine, who faces Noa-Lynn van Leuven in the Women's Matchplay quarter-finals. 'You only have to look back at interviews he gave at the WDF World Championship, about three years ago. If you didn't ask a question that wasn't a yes or no answer, you didn't get a great deal from him. At the end of the day, he was a young teenage lad. 'Now, he's much more natural in front of the camera and speaks really well. He's grown massively, and he's had to do that overnight. Hats off to him for the way he's coped with it all.' Littler begins his Matchplay campaign against Ryan Searle on Sunday night as he looks to add one of the sport's biggest prizes to his growing collection.
Scottish Sun
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
PDC World Championship schedule released as fans hail ‘mind-melting amount of darts this Christmas'
Tickets will not be easy to come by if last year was anything to go by On the bull PDC World Championship schedule released as fans hail 'mind-melting amount of darts this Christmas' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SPORTS fans are in for a very merry footballdartsmas this year after the schedule for the Darts World Championship was released. The PDC have expanded the tournament to 128 players for the 2025/26 edition of the Alexandra Palace showpiece. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The PDC have revealed the schedule for the 2025/26 Darts World Championship Credit: PA 2 The competition has been expanded with more players, more money and more fans Credit: Alamy This comes with a record-breaking prize pot of £5million on the line, with this year's winner set to pocket an eye-watering £1m. And the schedule for the expanded competition has now been revealed by organisers. It will be a 20-day darts bonanza held across 36 sessions which is expected to welcome more than 100,000 fans. The likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will have to wait to discover their fate in the draw, but they know the round one action will get underway from Thursday, December 11. READ MORE IN DARTS LUKE OUT Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler Round one will last over a week through to Friday, December 19, with every day except for the opening day and Wednesday, December 17 featuring an afternoon and evening session. Those who progress will then commence with the second round from Saturday, December 20, which will be played through to Tuesday, December 23 when the competition then takes a break for Christmas. The darts then return with round three action on Saturday, December 27. That will last through to Monday, December 29, when three round three clashes play out at the same time as two round four games. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The remainder of round four will be played out across two sessions on Tuesday, December 30. Similarly, the quarter-finals will take place across an afternoon and evening session on New Year's Day. Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler as he warns sensation he can 'go from hero to zero quick' Friday, January 2 will see the semi-finals played out, before the darts festival then concludes on Saturday, January 3. Fans have called the tournament a "a mind-melting amount of darts". However, fans could be hard-pressed to get tickets as the popularity of darts continues to soar. A record 40,000 were bought by annual members in the first 30 minutes of pre-sale for the event last year. The PDC website struggled to cope with the traffic and some fans fumed as they got stuck on a "black screen". Other fans were left furious after touts got their hands on tickets before reselling them on some sites for a colossal £800.
