Sherrock and Ashton are in pole position to claim the two World Championship spots on offer at the PDC Women's Series; the final six events take place at the Barnsley Metrodome on October 23-24
Friday 8 October 2021 07:07, UK
Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton are poised to seal their Alexandra Palace returns later this month after dominating the opening weekend of the PDC Women's Series in Milton Keynes.
Sherrock and Ashton scooped three titles apiece at the Marshall Arena last month, and with just six events remaining on October 23-24, it would take an extraordinary effort to overhaul the decorated duo.
The top two players from the final Women's Series Order of Merit will qualify for this year's PDC World Championship, and Ashton - who trails Sherrock by £350 - leads third-place Deta Hedman by a sizeable £1,950.
Sherrock and Ashton are undoubtedly the two biggest names in women's darts right now, and they reaffirmed their credentials with a series of sparkling performances to dominate the 70-player field.
Sherrock, who enjoyed a sensational rise to prominence courtesy of her ground-breaking success at Ally Pally two years ago, will also make her Grand Slam of Darts debut next month, having reached the final in five of the first six events.
"I'm absolutely buzzing to have secured a place in the Grand Slam, I can't wait to play in that," Sherrock told PDC commentator Chris Murphy.
"But there's still six events left to play in the Women's Series and I need to make sure I finish the job and qualify for Ally Pally."
The 27-year-old was dubbed 'The Queen of the Palace' following her history-making exploits in 2019, although she agonisingly missed out a World Championship return at last year's Women's Series, losing out to Hedman by just two legs.
Ashton topped the Order of Merit at last year's inaugural staging, and the 50-year-old is still in a position of authority as she bids to feature in her third PDC World Championship.
She has suffered first-round defeats on her two previous Alexandra Palace appearances, but she did register her first televised win over a male opponent at March's UK Open, defeating Aaron Beeney 6-2 with a 100.3 average - a world-record TV average for a woman.
Ashton has also beaten the likes of Michael Smith, Rob Cross and Adrian Lewis on the Pro Tour over the last 12 months, and she's hopeful that her return to Pro Tour action next month will provide the perfection preparation ahead of another crunch weekend.
"I have got a good start so hopefully I can build on that, and now I know what it takes going into Barnsley, so hopefully I can keep my stamina and go all the way through," she told the Darts Show podcast.
"Playing the best players in the world, there's no better practice you can ever have, so hopefully I can take what I've done this weekend into the Pro Tour, and hopefully that will help me in the next Women's Series.
Elsewhere in Milton Keynes, multiple world champions Anastasia Dobromyslova and Mikuru Suzuki finished the weekend 4th and 6th on the Order of Merit respectively, with the evergreen Hedman in third position.
Ten-time world champion Trina Gulliver made her return to competitive action and displayed promising signs, while former BDO world finalist Corrine Hammond and Sky Sports' very own Laura Turner also featured in the top ten.
Nevertheless, Ashton and Sherrock were simply in a different league. Sherrock's three defeats in the six events all came against Ashton, and 'The Lancashire Rose' posted consecutive averages of 104 and 103 en route to Event Five glory.
"They were a class apart. It was a relentless, ruthless display of darts from both ladies," reflected former world No 1 Colin Lloyd, who was on commentary duty throughout the opening weekend.
"Fallon and Lisa are at that level - Deta Hedman can get there on occasions, Anastasia Dobromyslova on occasions, Mikuru Suzuki, we know she can certainly lift her game. They can just go up there and do it. They can let it flow.
"You can only control what you are doing. You cannot control what your opponent is doing, but if you keep putting yourself in the mix, you can get results. People have proved that you can get results against these two ladies," Lloyd added.
The last 18 months have been tough for the women's game. The demise of the British Darts Organisation coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result, many of the game's leading lights were starved of competitive action.
The news that the inaugural WDF World Championship will begin at the Lakeside on New Year's Day is a huge boost to the amateur game, but the Women's Series also represents a major opportunity, with £30,000 in prize money on offer in Barnsley later this month.
The appetite is there. In a new report published by Sky Sports and Leaders in Sport, it was revealed that public interest in women's sport has risen during the pandemic, with 21 per cent of UK adults following it more than they did 18 months ago.
Sherrock's run to the third round of the 2019 World Championship captured the imagination of the sporting world, while the PDC's Darts Connect system temporarily crashed during Ashton's Qualifying School campaign, such was the interest in her bid to claim a Tour Card.
The momentum must be maintained, and that's why it is essential that the Women's Series events are well supported, despite Sherrock and Ashton's dominance in the first stage.
The PDC were already forced to reschedule the opening leg of this year's series - set to take place in Germany back in August - due to a paltry total of 22 entries, and Ashton has issued a rallying cry to her female counterparts.
"Quite a lot of the ladies enjoyed it [first six events]. They are going to clash with other tournaments, but I'm hoping the ladies will back this, because the rewards are there.
"I hope they back this and we keep it going forward, because if we don't back these events, we aren't going to get any tournaments."
Don't miss a dart as the World Grand Prix action continues from Leicester's Morningside Arena all week on Sky Sports Arena.
