Beau Greaves, one of England’s top darting prospects, took home the win at the Lakeside WDF Women’s World Championship this past weekend.

Defeating Aileen de Graaf in the final 4-1, Greaves swept away the competition, solidifying her position at the top of the WDF World Rankings, despite only being 19.

Beau ‘n’ Arrow only dropped a single set in the whole tournament, against de Graff in the final, who is currently second in the WDF World Rankings.

“It’s what I came here for” commented Greaves after her finals win.

“I was a lot more relaxed this year than I was last year,” continued Greaves as she reflected on what was different coming back as the defending champion.

Greaves was consistently the best player across the week, averaging far more than her opponents. A highlight came in the semi-final, where she defeated Rhian O’Sullivan 3-0 with an average of over 90. This average was higher than three of the men at the semi-final stage, showing how well she can stack up against her male counterparts.

It was somewhat of a controversial decision for Greaves to attend Lakeside, as this meant not going to the PDC World Championships at Alexandra Palace.

“Choosing to play here was always the goal” commented Greaves after her victory, as she described being “relieved” that the risk had paid off to go to Lakeside.

Greaves would have had an automatic spot at the tournament due to her win at the Women’s World Matchplay, however she evidently decided to defend her Lakeside title instead.

Fallon Sherrock commented that “she has done what she wants for herself,” although “Ally Pally would have helped her.”

“It’s not an if, it’s a when she gets to Ally Pally,” continued Sherrock, as she sang the praises of the world champion Greaves.

“I will be back next year” promised Greaves, so the prospect of her stepping on the Ally Pally stage in the PDC tournament next year are slim.

With the increased level of skill in the women’s game compounding year-on-year, it is evident that the figures at the top of the game will be challenged more and more as the game develops. It is clear that Greaves separated herself from the rest this year at Lakeside, however the fact that figures like Sherrock were not present meant that the competition was less top-heavy than before.

If Greaves continues to attend the WDF World Championships, and continues winning, it will still give her great confidence to go forward into other competitions during the year. However, if she chooses to pursue a path similar to Sherrock in competing in more mixed tournaments on the big stage, she has also shown that she has the capability to compete on that level.

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