Fallon Sherrock has pleaded her innocence after facing a wave of criticism over her inclusion in the Beat Luke Littler event in Manchester, where she walked away with a staggering £501,000. The 'Queen of the Palace' defeated Luke Littler in a single leg to claim the second biggest payday in darts history, but the victory was accompanied by backlash from fans who had expected the participants to be relatively unknown names.
Speaking to the Press Association, Sherrock admitted the criticism had been tough to take. "I mean it's been tough. Because obviously I do see the backlash and I do see all the negative comments," she said. "But at the end of the day, I fit the criteria for this. I've never had a tour card, and I wouldn't class myself as a pro really, because all I do is just play darts for the enjoyment of it." She added: "I think people forget where I started off as well. When I won at the Worlds, I was still just doing WDF (World Darts Federation). I'm just so happy to overcome all the hate and win."
The event, streamed live on Netflix, saw Littler take on 20 competitors ranging from amateurs to recognisable names like Sherrock and Mitchell Lawrie. Sherrock, who does not hold a PDC Tour Card, qualified for the event on that basis. In the decisive leg, she won the bull, opened with a 100 scoring visit, and fired a 180 to leave 43 after 12 darts. With her second dart on tops, she kept her cool as Littler endured an off-leg, sealing the win and the £501,000 prize.
Barry Hearn, part of the judging panel for the Netflix show, defended Sherrock's place in the lineup. "No, not at all. She's not a PDC Tour Card holder. She's entitled to enter. Why should she be denied?" he said. "She's a well-known player and she's a very good player. But Mitchell Lawrie is a very well-known player and an excellent player." Hearn also posed a question to critics: "Do you want just a series of 20 matches where someone can't even throw a dart? No, of course we want excellence competing against excellence, and that's what it was all about."
Hearn lavished praise on Littler, whose rise has coincided with darts reaching new audiences. "Luke Littler gave me the one thing I was missing, he gave me that young audience, and with it, all the benefits that follow," Hearn continued. "And one of those benefits is a company like Netflix seeing an opportunity, having the finance to do things that other people only dream about, and come up with innovative ideas." Reflecting on the sport's growth, he added: "So the answer is three years ago, no, I didn't see it coming. Now I find myself saying, 'It's no big surprise'. It's a statement on where darts has become and what Netflix is contributing to the sports industry."
Sherrock's win comes seven years after she made history at Alexandra Palace by becoming the first woman to win a PDC World Darts Championship match. That success came at an unfortunate time, with the global pandemic halting her momentum. She continues to play at a high level on the Women's Series, with a return to Ally Pally on the cards later this year.
