Fallon Sherrock reveals pub player gripe as Queen of the Palace gets honest about taking on men
The Queen of the Palace was straight to the point as she discussed the opening of more doors for female stars
Inspirational Fallon Sherrock reckons opportunities for women in darts should be expanded with pub players ahead of them in the UK Open pecking order.
The Queen of the Palace was the one who famously smashed the glass ceiling with her Ally Pally success over Ted Evetts at the Worlds.
Sherrock has helped massively to forge scenarios such as today’s eight-player Betfred Women’s World Matchplay which takes place this afternoon prior to the men’s final between Luke Littler and James Wade.
However, she wants to see more chances afforded to the ladies with the UK Open a particular bugbear as she said: “I actually prefer playing the men to the women. I just feel there’s less pressure on me because I just feel like people expect me to do more than what I do, if that makes sense.
“You could probably give some women some UK Open spots. That’s what I think. Everyone else has their own opinions, but you’re always looking for spaces and you’re giving it to people who go to their local pubs and playing and stuff. And I’m like: Give some to the women. Just two spaces or something. How good would it be to see, for example, like the best women at the moment.
“I mean, obviously there’s only eight [in Women's Matchplay] at the moment. I’d love to see more because there are other women that could put on a good performance and stuff. And there’s women just underneath that have just missed out who are like quality players. Just expand it a little bit, so we’re not just playing like one afternoon.
“Maybe put it in with the men. In between. Give us some opportunity just to showboat ourselves because, unless you know it’s on a Sunday, people don’t know about it. And again, the format’s quite short. I feel like I still am helping push the sport a bit further, but I also think because all the other women are playing better now and getting more exposure, it’s opening us more opportunities to get the spots as well. So I don’t feel it’s just me.”
Sherrock will take a break from the game next year for health issues, but feels good for Blackpool and said: “That’s obviously a difficult decision for me anyway, but at the moment, I’m doing okay. So I’m going to be playing longer than I anticipated like now.
"It’s just touch and go as to when I’m going to need time out. But at the moment, I’m doing okay to kind of just keep playing. I’ve been eating better and stuff like that. I’m very happy because, I mean, I could have just given up and just gone downhill completely. I’m happy that I’ve just kept going and kept positive and just keep looking to the future. I’ve set myself goals and they’re the ones that I want to achieve rather than just giving up.
“I feel great. I’m excited. I’m not tired. It’s not like I’m choosing it. It [break] will happen. I can’t stop it happening as much as I want it to, but I’ve just got to keep positive, keep playing, just keep living in the moment, just not thinking of anything negative.”
Beau Greaves is now the girl ruling the roost and Sherrock said: “I can just go under the radar. When I was at the World Championships the first time, no one really knew who I was anyway, I wasn’t like the one of the top lot winning everything anyway.
“You just get kind of thrown in the deep end and you don’t really understand. It’s like a shock to the system, because no one expects the world just to explode the way it does because you kind of assume it’s going to be a kind of big thing, but you don’t realise how massive it’s going to be. Then when something new happens, the world just goes mental.
“It [women’s darts] will go absolutely massive and everyone will be like: Oh, yeah, Fallon and Beau were the ones that were winning it and all that, and people will remember.”