Female darts star Fallon Sherrock qualifies for the PDC World Championship
Fallon Sherrock secured her William Hill World Darts Championship debut while Benito van de Pas, Matthew Edgar and Kevin Burness all sealed returns to Alexandra Palace as qualification for the event came to a conclusion.
Sherrock completed a stunning run to glory in the UK & Ireland Women's Qualifier with a final victory over Natalie Gilbert - after seeing off last year's winner Lisa Ashton in a gripping semi-final.
The 25-year-old talent began her charge to victory with a 6-0 win over Kirsty Chubb before overcoming the challenge of Lorraine Winstanley, triumphing 6-3.
She then posted a 99.1 average in another whitewash win, this time over Lisa Brosnan to tee up the tie against Ashton, who appeared in the Grand Slam of Darts earlier this month.
Sherrock raced into a 4-0 lead with the aid of three 13-darters before going on to win 6-4 after Ashton had missed two darts to force a last leg decider.
In the final, Sherrock proved too strong for her opponent as she secured her spot at the World Championship with a 6-3 victory.
"I feel absolutely over the moon," said Sherrock.
"This is a brilliant achievement. It's definitely my biggest achievement so far and I'm really excited about playing at the World Championship.
"The Women's game is on the up and we sometimes don't get the recognition we deserve but I'm really proud of my performances today."
Van de pas, Edgar and Burness all came through the PDPA Tour Card Holder Qualifier to earn their places in the sport's showpiece tournament.
Van de Pas will return to London's Alexandra Palace for a sixth successive year after clinching his spot with a 7-4 win against former UK Open semi-finalist Robert Owen.
The Dutchman edged past John Michael 6-5 in his opener before defeating Yordi Meeuwisse, Barrie Bates and Owen to qualify.
"This is one of the best days of my life," said van de Pas, who has reached the last 16 at Alexandra Palace four times - including last year.
"I had to fight really hard but I was seeing people below me in the rankings go out and that was helping me to relax because I knew my Tour Card was getting safer.
"I've had a really bad year but this makes up for it. I'm there now and I have had some good times in the tournament so we will see what can happen."
Edgar, who made his World Championship last December, defeated Adam Hunt in his final qualifying match.
The 33-year-old prevailed over Tytus Kanik, Gary Eastwood and Christian Bunse before a 7-4 success over Hunt earned him a return to Ally Pally.
"I'm delighted," said Edgar.
"This was about more than qualifying for the World Championship. It was about keeping hold of my professional status.
"Darts is my full time job now and I've had to adapt my approach to the game. The pressure was immense but I've proved I've got fight and I'm looking forward to putting right what went wrong last year."
Burness defeated Bradley Brooks 7-3 to qualify for the second consecutive season, having won the Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay in 2018.
The Northern Irishman enjoyed victories against Niels Zonneveld, Reece Robinson, Mario Robbe, Robert Thornton and Brooks in a fine run, which saw him average over 95 in every match.
"I'm over the moon," said Burness, who defeated Paul Nicholson on his debut last December.
"Last year people had jibes saying I got in through the back door but this year I've come through the front door.
"Anyone who can win in this high pressure situation deserves their place and I've played well to qualify."
The Women's Qualifier will be the best of 11 legs throughout, with one qualification place available.
PDPA Tour Card Holder Qualifier
Final Matches
- Benito van de Pas 7-4 Robert Owen
- Kevin Burness 7-3 Bradley Brooks
- Matthew Edgar 7-4 Adam Hunt
UK & Ireland Women's Qualifier
Quarter-Finals
- Natalie Gilbert 6-2 Mandy Smith
- Denise Cassidy 6-4 Sarah Roberts
- Fallon Sherrock 6-0 Lisa Brosnan
- Lisa Ashton 6-1 Rachel Brooks
Semi-Finals
- Natalie Gilbert 6-0 Denise Cassidy
- Fallon Sherrock 6-4 Lisa Ashton
Final
- Fallon Sherrock 6-3 Natalie Gilbert
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