Ashton beats Sherrock to win Women’s World Matchplay

After Fallon Sherrock missed 11 darts in a pulsating final, Lisa Ashton triumphed in the Women’s World Matchplay in remarkable fashion.

At Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Ashton, 54, won 6-5 in a final-leg decider.

However, “The Lancashire Rose” must have believed that Sherrock had lost sight of her potential when she finished 40 with Ashton still out of the finish line after leading 5-4.

Before Ashton found double 10, Sherrock forced a one-leg shootout after missing eight darts at double.

After Ashton made a stunning 180-degree turn in the final leg, Sherrock responded with a brilliant 165 to make 36.

The 31-year-old, who became the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship in December 2019, was once more unable to win it.

“I’m so, so happy. Ashton told Sky Sports, “I finally arrived there.

“My heart was going ten to ten, but I just sat there indifferently because I believed I had to take my chances because Fallon was missing, which I did, and I did.”

In the Lakeside BDO world finals in 2015, Ashton defeated Englishwoman Sherrock.

After defeating Ireland’s Robyn Byrne in the quarter-finals, Ashton defeated defending champion Beau Greaves 5-3 in the semi-finals.

Greaves dropped 36 in nine darts before missing eight at double before Ashton unexpectedly won a 3-1 lead with a knockout on the fourth leg.

With Ashton at 50% on the outer ring, Greaves, who had been competing for a third consecutive Matchplay title, only managed three of his 19 attempts.

Before the final, Sherrock had to face defeat in match darts in both her quarter-final and semi-final.

After a wild final leg, she defeated second seed Noa-Lynn van Leuven 5-4 to move up over Gemma Hayter 4-3 in the final eight.

Both players ended up on double one after Sherrock and Van Leuven missed five match darts, with the latter eventually making it to the final.

Quarter-finals

Beau Greaves 4-1 Kirsi Viinikainen

Robyn Byrne 4-2 Robyn Ashton

Lorraine Winstanley 4-0 Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Gemma Hayter 4-3 Fallon Sherrock

Semi-finals

Lisa Ashton 3 to 5 Beau Greaves

Fallon Sherrock 4 – 4 Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Final