Gemma Hayter and Robyn Bryne victorious in PDC Women’s Series
Gemma Hayter and Robyn Bryne outperformed the rest of the competition to win events 19 and 20 of the PDC Women’s Series in Wigan.
After completing the double on Saturday, Beau Greaves suffered early exits in the Last 64 in both events to Lauryn Salter and Gemma Hayter, respectively.
Women’s Series Event 19
Hayter kicked the day off with her best performance in the opening round, with a 4-1 win over Vicky Pruim, averaging 89.10 average. All legs were won in 19 dart legs or less, one-way traffic.
The competition was tougher in the next two rounds, facing big talents Aileen de Graaf and Fallon Sherrick, establishing 4-2 wins in both contests. In both matches both players maintained the throw in the first five legs, with Hayter having the edge at 3-2. Both De Graaf and Sherrock were unable to get down to a finish with the 31-year-old breaking the throw to win, with a superb 14-darter to defeat the ‘Queen of the Palace’.
The two wins against two top quality opponents gave her a much needed confidence boost as she dominated against Dutchwoman Sharona Veld and four-time champion Lisa Ashton, winning 10 legs in a row in two whitewash 5-0 wins. She kicked off both games with a 144 and 126 checkout and looked in cruise control, averaging a very steady 88.41 and 87.38 in both games.
In the final she took on Mikuru Suzuki and rose to the occasion by showing determination to plough through when not at her best. A final average of 79.88 meant nothing to the final scoreline of 5-1, as the English star was successful on the outer ring at the crucial moments.
Women’s Series Event 20
An attempt to achieve the double was on the cards, but Hayter fell short in the final 16 clash with Welshwoman Rhian O’Sullivan.
Irishwoman talent Robyn Bryne defeated players from four different countries en route to tournament victory, with her first round match against Welshwoman Jan Robbins. Her first average of the day was a very below par 60.70 and it took a couple of games for her to settle and find her stride, but this performance sent her through to a matchup with Italian talent Italian Aurora Fochesato.
Despite winning 4-2 again and averaging an improved 63.40 average, her first big test of the afternoon arrived in the Last 16 against Sweden’s Vicky Pruim. Pruim formulated a 3-1 advantage, but Bryne reeled off an impressive 14-darter to break the throw before following up with a clutch 116 checkout after Pruim missed to progress on. The all important last leg was a nail biter with Bryne converting in 21 darts.
This narrow escape motivated her for the remainder of the tournament, where she formulated dominated performances over an out of sorts Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock 5-1 and 5-2 to make it to the final. With both performances at a much improved standard of 74, she held her own in the final match with Lorraine Winstanley to pick up the £2,000 cheque.
