KIRSI Viinikainen celebrated her maiden PDC Women’s Series title in Leicester this weekend as Beau Greaves won three of the four events!
Saturday’s Women’s Series double-header saw 83 players in action at the Mattioli Arena, as Finland’s Viinikainen broke new ground with a landmark victory in Event Five.
Viinikainen has featured in a trio of semi-finals and 12 quarter-finals since making her Women’s Series debut in February 2023, and her consistency was finally rewarded in the East Midlands.
The 52-year-old conceded just three legs in reaching the last eight, easing past Kacie O’Connor, Hilary Kirkbride and Aletta Wajer before winning through a last-leg decider against Ireland’s Robyn Byrne.
The Scandinavian star then closed out a hard-fought victory over Eleanor Cairns in the last four, before securing the £2,000 top prize with a terrific 5-2 success against Fallon Sherrock.
Sherrock recovered from an inauspicious start to trail 3-2, but Viinikainen – who established control with 104 and 68 checkouts – sealed the deal with a 13-dart break on tops.
Sherrock was bidding to become only the second player – alongside Greaves – to secure a 20th Women’s Series title, and she produced a series of dominant displays in reaching the Event Five showpiece.
Following whitewash wins over Sharon Godbeer, Kim Holden and Aurora Fochesato, the former Women’s World Matchplay champion swept aside Trina Gulliver and Rhian O’Sullivan, before defying a spirited fightback from Lisa Ashton in the semi-finals.
Fresh from her record-breaking exploits at last weekend’s UK Open, Greaves suffered a surprise deciding-leg defeat to Katie Sheldon in her Event Five opener.
However, the 21-year-old bounced back to claim the Event Six spoils and secure a record-extending 31st Women’s Series crown.
Greaves, who also occupies top spot on the Winmau Challenge Tour and Development Tour Orders of Merit, defeated a quartet of Women’s Series title winners to seal her seventh PDC tournament success of the year.
Having kicked off her challenge with resounding wins over Marian Conway and Kyana Frauenfelder, Greaves averaged almost 96 in a four-leg demolition of Rebecca Barrow to book her last 16 berth.
The Doncaster darter then defeated her great rival Sherrock 4-1 to continue her charge, before accounting for Gemma Hayter and Lorraine Winstanley in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
This set up a showdown against Ashton in the Event Six decider, and – after relinquishing the opener – Greaves rattled off five legs in succession to storm to a comprehensive 5-1 victory.
BEAU Greaves maintained her magnificent start to 2025 with back-to-back titles in Leicester on Sunday.
Greaves had won three of the year’s opening six events ahead of Sunday’s double-header, and she continued her domination of the women’s game with another brace of victories at the Mattioli Arena.
The 21-year-old has now won 19 consecutive matches on the Women’s Series circuit, and she boasts a staggering £6,400 lead over her closest challenger Lisa Ashton on the Order of Merit.
Greaves also occupies top spot on the Winmau Challenge Tour and Development Tour Orders of Merit, and after reaching the fourth round of last weekend’s UK Open, she will return to Leicester to compete on the PDC ProTour this week.
“I was pleased to win a title yesterday, and I came into today with the same attitude,” claimed Greaves, who has won an astonishing 33 Women’s Series since August 2022.
“I still want to be more consistent. I’m looking for that next level now, and I’m trying to be as competitive as possible on the ProTour and all the other tours that I play.
“Playing on the Development Tour and the Challenge Tour is helping my game, and having the opportunity to play these top players on the ProTour is lovely. I’m really looking forward to this week now.”
Greaves was impenetrable throughout the day’s opening event, producing a tournament average of 94.89 across six matches to pocket the £2,000 top prize.
The two-time Women’s World Matchplay champion kicked off her challenge with whitewash wins over Vivian Cullimore and Anastasia Dobromyslova, averaging 107.36 to demolish the three-time Lakeside Champion.
Greaves backed up a routine 4-1 victory over Robyn Byrne with a hard-fought 5-3 success against Fallon Sherrock, before averaging 99 to dispatch Angela Kirkwood and storm through to the Event Seven showpiece.
This set up a showdown against Katie Sheldon – who defeated Greaves in the last 64 of Event Five – but there was to be no repeat, as Greaves breezed to a five-leg whitewash to round off a terrific campaign.
The pair would renew their rivalry midway through Event Eight, as Sheldon squandered match darts to defeat the Doncaster darter for the second time this weekend.
That narrow escape was preceded by whitewash wins over Lauryn Salter and Sally Whiting, and Greaves got back on track in the quarter-finals, firing in an 11-darter to defeat Ashton 5-3 in a high-quality encounter.
Greaves celebrated another whitewash victory against Lorraine Winstanley in the last four, and she capped off a perfect darting day with a comprehensive 5-1 thumping of Byrne in the Event Eight decider.
Byrne’s run to a second Women’s Series final of 2025 cements her place in the top six of the Women’s Series Order of Merit, with Sherrock, Kirsi Viinikainen and Gemma Hayter occupying third, fourth and fifth spots respectively.
The top eight players on the rolling Women’s Series Order of Merit after Event 16 in June will qualify for the 2025 Betfred Women’s World Matchplay, which takes place on July 27 at the Winter Gardens.
Additionally, the top two players from the final PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit will qualify to compete in the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship, alongside the winner of the 2025 Women’s World Matchplay.
The PDC Women’s Series will continue with Events 9-12 in Rosmalen on April 12-13, with live coverage available throughout the weekend on PDCTV.
2025 PDC Women’s Series
Mattioli Arena, Leicester (Saturday March 8)
Event Five
Quarter-Finals
Kirsi Viinikainen 5-4 Robyn Byrne
Eleanor Cairns 5-4 Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Fallon Sherrock 5-1 Rhian O’Sullivan
Lisa Ashton 5-4 Natalie Gilbert
Semi-Finals
Kirsi Viinikainen 5-3 Eleanor Cairns
Fallon Sherrock 5-3 Lisa Ashton
Final
Kirsi Viinikainen 5-2 Fallon Sherrock
Event Six
Quarter-Finals
Lisa Ashton 5-0 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Laura Turner 5-3 Denise Cassidy
Lorraine Winstanley 5-4 Stacey Ellis
Beau Greaves 5-3 Gemma Hayter
Semi-Finals
Lisa Ashton 5-0 Laura Turner
Beau Greaves 5-2 Lorraine Winstanley
Final
Beau Greaves 5-1 Lisa Ashton
Sunday March 9
Event Seven
Quarter-Finals
Angela Kirkwood 5-3 Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Beau Greaves 5-3 Fallon Sherrock
Lorraine Hyde 5-4 Victoria Cauteruccio
Katie Sheldon 5-3 Rose Mort
Semi-Finals
Beau Greaves 5-1 Angela Kirkwood
Katie Sheldon 5-0 Lorraine Hyde
Final
Beau Greaves 5-0 Katie Sheldon
Event Eight
Quarter-Finals
Gemma Hayter 5-3 Angela Kirkwood
Robyn Byrne 5-2 Aletta Wajer
Lorraine Winstanley 5-1 Lorraine Hyde
Beau Greaves 5-3 Lisa Ashton
Semi-Finals
Robyn Byrne 5-4 Gemma Hayter
Beau Greaves 5-0 Lorraine Winstanley
Final
Beau Greaves 5-1 Robyn Byrne
——ENDS——
Images: PDC
