BEAU Greaves celebrated a record-breaking 15th PDC Women’s Series title with back-to-back wins on Sunday, as the year’s third weekend of competition concluded in dramatic fashion in Hildesheim.
Greaves and Fallon Sherrock shared the spoils in Saturday’s opening double-header, but it was the Doncaster darter who dominated Sunday’s action to triumph in Events 11 and 12.
The 19-year-old produced a superb comeback to deny Sherrock in a high-quality Event 11 decider, which saw her equal Lisa Ashton’s haul of 14 Women’s Series titles.
Greaves then wrote her name into the history books with Event 12 success, demolishing emerging Dutch star Noa-Lynn van Leuven with another devastating display at Halle 39.
“I’ve done really well to cope with all the pressure and I’m really proud of myself,” reflected Greaves, who will be the top seed at next month’s Betfred Women’s World Matchplay.
“I was so disappointed with myself in Milton Keynes last month. I was ready to retire. I’m not bothered about getting beat, but when I’m losing because of me, that’s when it bothers me.
“Milton Keynes was a big eye-opener for me. I wasn’t putting any work in before and I paid the price for it. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year now and putting that behind me.
“I cannot wait for Blackpool. Everything has been building up to this and I missed it last year. I’ve got the enjoyment back and I’m really excited.”
Buoyed by her Event Nine success on Saturday, Greaves kicked off Sunday’s action with a whitewash win over Paula Jacklin, averaging 95 to avenge her defeat to Jacklin in Saturday’s Event Ten.
She also dispatched Kelly Streef, Katie Sheldon, Kirsty Hutchinson and Italy’s Aurora Fochesato to seal her place in the semi-finals against an impressive Kirsi Viinikainen.
Finland’s Viinikainen thrashed Robyn Byrne and averaged almost 96 to dump out Mikuru Suzuki in reaching her maiden Women’s Series semi-final, but it was Greaves who ran out a 5-2 winner in their last four tussle.
This set up a mouth-watering tussle against Event Ten champion Sherrock, who seemed poised to make it back-to-back wins after storming into a 4-2 lead with a 98 average.
However, Greaves responded with back-to-back legs to force a last-leg shoot-out, where she defied a third maximum from Sherrock to triumph with a 15-dart break of throw.
Sherrock accounted for Lisa Ashton and Aileen de Graaf in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, and her appearance in a second consecutive Women’s Series final saw her cement third spot on the 2023 Order of Merit.
However, Sherrock was again thwarted by Greaves in the Event 12 quarter-finals, as the teenage sensation stormed her way to a seventh Women’s Series title of 2023.
She raced through to the last eight with 4-0 wins over Claudia Bangemann and Corrine Hammond, having earlier battled past Viinikainen in a repeat of the Event 11 semi-finals.
Following a 5-3 success against Sherrock, Greaves then produced a clinical display of finishing to edge out Suzuki in a nine-leg thriller, following up 142 and 136 checkouts with a match-winning 70 on the bull.
This set up a tussle against Van Leuven for the Event 12 title, after the Dutch thrower progressed to a second final of 2023 to qualify for July’s Women’s World Matchplay.
Van Leuven trailed Lorraine Winstanley by £400 on the rolling 12-month Order of Merit ahead of Event 12 – the final event before the cut-off for next month’s Winter Gardens showpiece – and she delivered the goods to seal her qualification.
The Dutch player overcame Laura Turner and Rhian O’Sullivan to reach the semi-finals, and recorded a 5-2 victory against compatriot Priscilla Steenbergen to confirm a place at the Winter Gardens.
Nevertheless, Greaves produced an imperious performance to scoop the £2,000 top prize in Event 12, conjuring up a magical ten-dart leg to complete a 5-0 rout with a 104 average.
The PDC Women’s Series returns on July 29-30 for a further four events, which will take place at Milton Keynes’ Marshall Arena. Coverage will be streamed on PDCTV throughout the weekend.
The top two players from the final PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit will qualify to compete in the 2023/24 World Darts Championship, alongside the winner of the 2023 Betfred Women’s World Matchplay.
See full event draw and results in the Match Centre.
Click here for match stats through DartConnect.
2023 PDC Women’s Series
Sunday June 25, Halle 39, Hildesheim
Event 11
Quarter-Finals
Kirsi Viinikainen 5-1 Mikuru Suzuki
Beau Greaves 5-1 Aurora Fochesato
Aileen de Graaf 5-2 Lorraine Winstanley
Fallon Sherrock 5-3 Lisa Ashton
Semi-Finals
Beau Greaves 5-2 Kirsi Viinikainen
Fallon Sherrock 5-1 Aileen de Graaf
Final
Beau Greaves 5-4 Fallon Sherrock
Event 12
Quarter-Finals
Beau Greaves 5-3 Fallon Sherrock
Mikuru Suzuki 5-2 Robyn Byrne
Noa-Lynn van Leuven 5-2 Rhian O’Sullivan
Priscilla Steenbergen 5-2 Lorraine Hyde
Semi-Finals
Beau Greaves 5-4 Mikuru Suzuki
Noa-Lynn van Leuven 5-2 Priscilla Steenbergen
Final
Beau Greaves 5-0 Noa-Lynn van Leuven
—–ENDS—–
Image: PDC
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