2026 Women’s World Matchplay Roundup: Beau Greaves Reclaims Crown in Blackpool Decider

The Empress Ballroom delivered high-caliber drama on Sunday afternoon as the fifth staging of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay concluded at the Winter Gardens. In a compelling afternoon of action featuring the world’s top eight female throwers, two-time champion Beau Greaves captured her third Blackpool crown in four years, defeating arch-rival Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in a classic deciding-leg final.

The £40,000 tournament saw high scoring, shocking clean sweeps, and tight battles from the opening quarter-final right through to the championship match. Victory for Greaves secures her the £15,000 top prize, a return spot at November’s Grand Slam of Darts, and direct entry into the 2026/27 PDC World Darts Championship.

Beau Greaves celebrates her third Betfred Women
Beau Greaves celebrates her third Betfred Women’s World Matchplay title after a thrilling 6-5 victory in Blackpool.

2026 Women’s World Matchplay Quarter-Finals: Statement Starts and Overtime Thrillers

The afternoon kicked off with top seed Beau Greaves firing a stern warning to the rest of the field in a 5-1 demolition of Finland’s Kirsi Viinikainen. Greaves opened the match in electric fashion, registering sensational back-to-back checkouts of 144 and 148 in the first two legs to set the tone. Averaging 91.91 with relentless scoring visits, the 22-year-old comfortably closed out the tie to march into the last four.

The second quarter-final produced the closest battle of the opening round as Gemma Hayter edged Swedish debutant Vicky Pruim 5-4. Pruim showed incredible resilience on her Blackpool debut, matching Hayter visit-for-visit and forcing a deciding leg. However, Hayter maintained her composure under severe pressure, posting a solid 79.01 average and landing double eight in the ninth leg to progress.

Defending champion Lisa Ashton began her title defense with a convincing 5-2 victory over Wales’ Rhian O’Sullivan. Ashton utilized her clinical setup play and superior double conversion to build a mid-match cushion, averaging 81.07. Despite O’Sullivan landing heavy 140s, Ashton’s outer-ring consistency proved decisive as ‘The Lancashire Rose’ secured her spot in the semi-finals.

Closing out the quarter-finals, 2022 champion Fallon Sherrock delivered a dominant display to defeat veteran legend Deta Hedman 5-2. Sherrock found her scoring rhythm early, finding treble 20 with ease to keep Hedman at distance throughout. A strong 85+ average saw Sherrock book a high-profile semi-final clash with Ashton.

2026 Women’s World Matchplay Semi-Finals: Greaves Survives Scare as Sherrock Sweeps Champion

The first semi-final brought an absolute thriller between Beau Greaves and Gemma Hayter that went down to the finest of margins. Hayter raised her game to challenge the top seed, pushing Greaves all the way to a deciding ninth leg. Greaves posted an 86.74 average, but Hayter’s 80.44 kept the scoreline deadlocked at 4-4. In the final-leg shootout, Greaves drew on her big-stage experience to pin double 16 and squeeze into the final.

The second semi-final saw a major shift in momentum as Fallon Sherrock produced a masterclass to dethrone reigning champion Lisa Ashton 5-1. Sherrock took immediate control of the contest, punishing Ashton’s scoring lulls and capitalising on missed doubles from the former champion. Averaging close to 90, Sherrock surged into a 4-0 lead before Ashton avoided the whitewash. Sherrock made no mistake in the sixth leg, sealing a resounding victory to reach her fourth Women’s World Matchplay final.

Fallon Sherrock standing on stage at the Empress Ballroom holding her Women
A heroic performance from ‘The Queen of the Palace.’ Fallon Sherrock holding her runner-up plate after an epic 11-leg final at the Winter Gardens.

The Final: Greaves vs. Sherrock

The 2026 Women’s World Matchplay final between Beau Greaves and Fallon Sherrock fulfilled every expectation, serving up a sensational 11-leg spectacle in front of a busy Empress Ballroom. Sherrock drew first blood with an early break of throw, but Greaves responded immediately in leg four with a spectacular 120 ‘Shanghai’ checkout on double 20 to level the match at 2-2.

Greaves began to exert scoreboard pressure during the middle session, landing timely maximums and completing a 13-dart hold to move 4-3 ahead. In leg eight, Greaves struck a crucial break of throw to establish a 5-3 lead, putting herself just one leg away from the trophy. However, Sherrock refused to bow out, showing trademark fight to claim leg nine before taking out a pressure-filled 70 checkout to force a dramatic deciding leg at 5-5.

With everything on the line, both players opened the 11th leg with maximums. Sherrock followed with a 140 visit, but Greaves matched her scoring pace dart-for-dart. Setting up 56, Greaves missed her first match dart on double 20 before calmly converting double 10 on her second attempt to seal a 6-5 victory. Greaves finished with an 88.63 average to Sherrock’s 87.84 in one of the highest-quality finals seen on the PDC Women’s circuit.

2026 Women’s World Matchplay Tournament Statistics Summary:

  • Winner: Beau Greaves (£15,000 prize money + Grand Slam & World Championship spots)

  • Runner-Up: Fallon Sherrock (£8,000 prize money)

  • Final Average: Beau Greaves (88.63) | Fallon Sherrock (87.84)

  • Highest Tournament Checkout: 148 (Beau Greaves, Quarter-Final)

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