Globally, women’s darts has never been in better shape. Standards are rising rapidly year after year, and the competition is more intense than ever. Among those lighting up the scene is Gemma Hayter.
The Gosport resident’s rise to the top tier has been anything but conventional. She stopped playing for nearly a decade before picking up a set of darts again – then suddenly found herself hammering the treble twenty. Not the textbook route to success, perhaps, but for Gemma, it’s worked rather well.
“I’ve played Hampshire county on and off since I was 14, then got picked for England in 2016.
At the time though, I just felt there were no real opportunities for ladies in darts, so I just packed it in.”
But the tungsten tempted her back. And in March last year, the now 31-year-old returned to the sport – and quickly rediscovered her form. According to her partner Steph, Gemma – both a lover and a Hayter – just needed a nudge (and a lift) to get back on the circuit.
“Yeah, it was Steph who kind of gave me the encouragement to go to Wigan last year for the PDC Women’s Series. After all, she drives and I don’t. But in the first event, I went all the way to the semi-finals and eventually just missed out on the Matchplay.”
Clearly ignoring the existence of Wigan’s sizeable railway station, Steph took the wheel as the pair embarked on two parallel journeys – one on the road, and one back to the sharp end of competitive darts. And it looks to have been a winning team. This year, Hayter has also been in formidable form on the WADC Winmau Championship Series, winning three of the first eight events and sitting comfortably at the top of the leaderboard.
“My aim is to finish in the top two on that tour and qualify for the Global Championships,” said Gemma. With a lead as big as a student’s laundry pile and just four events left in Leicester, she’s well on course. But at the start of the year, her main goal was the World Matchplay. Only the top eight on the PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit qualify – and Hayter is among them.
“When the season started, my target was to finish as high as possible. Making the cut, I surprised myself because the quality is so high. But the better I kept playing, I felt more confident of making it. And now, I am a little disappointed to not yet win a tour event.”
Still, it’s her consistency and frequent appearances in the latter stages of tournaments that earned her a spot. Hayter is no longer just another name in the draw – she’s now one of the players to watch.
“I am very hard on myself and really self-criticise after a bad game or day. Now, as one of the higher-ranked players, it was something I needed to adjust to. Before that, I could kind of fly under the radar, but not anymore.”
That’s the price of success. Once you start winning, people start paying attention – and with her debut at the PDC Women’s Matchplay fast approaching, she’s going to be noticed even more.
Until then, the plan is simple. Right, Gemma?
“Definitely. I am involved in Women’s Week at MODUS later this month, but apart from that, I will be putting the time in on the practice board and preparing as best as I can.”
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
