Previously twice the bridesmaid but now the bride, Byrne won her first Women’s Series title last month, beating Laura Turner 5-1.
“My second final defeat was a 5-0 loss to Beau Greaves and just one of those days, but the other final was a lot more frustrating,” she explained. “I only lost 5-3 [to Lisa Ashton, in March 2022] and felt like I had a lot of opportunities.”
“Going into this final, I felt a lot more relaxed as I knew I was playing well. And Laura had never won an event either, so I knew if I had a good start I’d be flying. I really just knuckled down and was lucky enough to win the competition in the end.”
It is a significant landmark in a career which began over 15 years ago, when a young Byrne picked up the arrows for the first time.
“I started playing darts when I was about 5 or 6, really because of my dad playing. He used to practice in the house and I’d bug him asking to play. Eventually he let me, and that’s how it began,” Byrne told Darts World.
A prodigious youth career followed, which saw the now 26-year-old pick up a number of titles including the WDF Europe Cup and the World Masters.
The latter, back in 2014, saw her defeat an extremely young Beau Greaves 4-0 in the final, an opponent she admits was already one to be feared.
“She was 10 years old at the time, which is ridiculous. I remember beforehand that we were both practicing on a stand just behind the stage and I was really thinking that I should be beating her. And then she started playing and was just performing so well. I think the nerves may have got to her in the end a little bit, at that time, and thankfully I got over the line.”
The Dubliner’s career has been transformed by the Women Series, which she has participated in since its creation in 2020.
Going to BDO events in the past, I never had that same focus as I was really just going to the events close to me. But now there is a clear aim and potential for us.”
—–ENDS—–
Robyn was speaking to Thomas Bartley for Darts World fuller interview piece will be in Darts World Extra 10 on June 30th
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