Fallon Sherrock has done it again. Seven years after earning the moniker 'Queen of the Palace' by defeating multiple male players at the Ally Pally, Sherrock made more history by defeating Luke Littler to scoop £501,000 in Manchester on Friday, 30 October 2026. The King of Darts was downed by the Queen of the Palace in a stunning finale to the 'Beat Luke Littler' challenge.
Sherrock won the fan vote, seeing off Jarod Becker with 75% of the vote, and she managed to win the bull. She hit a tonne to start and was solid throughout, hitting a 180 to leave 43. Littler had no answer as Sherrock hit 43 and sealed the win with her son watching on – who had never watched her play live before. A great story for the iconic Queen of the Palace.
Littler's path to the final saw him defeat a host of challengers. He started against Kasey Smith, the lowest-ranked seed in the tournament, and made light work of the pub worker, hitting treble 10 and double 20 to breeze through. Tony Cole followed, who had never actually played on a stage or in a tournament but was one of the better players on paper. Littler hit 140 to leave 67 and missed double 20, but he returned to seal it. Zac Spain, a jockey from Australia, awaited, and while he gave Littler a sterner test, Littler went 3/20 up.
The big examination on paper came from Jayden Walker, the 14-year-old who had beaten Luke Humphries in an exhibition and was seen as the next cab off the rank alongside Mitchell Lawrie in terms of players to trouble Littler. But nerves got the better of him as Littler raised his game accordingly, going blockbuster with a 180 and a 158 to humble the wannabe challenger. Katie Sheldon won the first fan vote, but she came and went. Ironically, it was Taylon Forrester, a bin man from Bedford hence the name 'The Trash Man', who gave Littler the sternest test as he hit a tonne for the first visit and looked adept at the task despite being one of the lower seeds. But Littler turned on the turbo and hit double 10 to lead. This was before Pearse Mackle missed the bull to seal the leg and win the £501,000, and then Littler hit 48 to rip it away.
Mark Pooke, who started the night as the player with the best leg to win through, was next, and he couldn't topple Littler, missing 138, and Littler hit double 10 for 9/20. Zac Griffiths then came and went as Littler put the Boy in the Corner, who had been described by Darts Draait Door co-host Damian Vlottes as a pest and a nightmare on the Oche. But no antics, as Littler averted losing the bull to win through. Following that, Makinley Cooper-Johnson and Lauren Bloomfield had some of the more interesting stories. The former was 14 years old and full of confidence, while the latter works in Nando's as a manager. But both fell to Littler, who was there to be got at with his average going from 100 to 80. This is where the issue then arose, as despite seeing off David Wawrzewski, he then had to face Sherrock, who now wins perhaps the money she would've won had Covid not happened, and she was denied the post World Championship year that she thought she'd have.
Certain players were left waiting, including Mitchell Lawrie, who it would be presumed would've been the other player to push Luke Littler close, as well as Jasper Scarrott, who was also seen as one of the favourites. But it was Sherrock who seized the moment, adding another chapter to her remarkable story.
