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Fallon Sherrock defeated Luke Littler to win £501,000 and triumph in the first-ever ‘Beat Luke Littler’ show.
The ‘Queen Of The Palace’, who made headlines by becoming the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace back in 2019, produced a 14-dart leg to beat the world champion in the Netflix event
Littler had beaten 14 ‘amateur’ players in a row in the single-leg format, on a night when any of the contestants could have won the prize of half a million pounds if they reached 501 and produced a double finish before Littler.
The inclusion of Sherrock as one of the 24 challengers had created some controversy when the line-up was announced by Netflix earlier this month; other players included a bin man, a restaurant manager at Nando’s, a driving instructor, and an electrical engineer.
While Sherrock is used to performing on the big stage, with the 32-year-old qualified hairdresser becoming a fan favourite at Alexandra Palace since her 2019 breakthrough, the £501,000 prize is the biggest of her career.
“It’s insane, I can’t put it into words,” said Sherrock, who was also playing in front of her son, Rory, for the first time. “Especially having Rory here, the first time he’s been to anything and he’s seen me win.
“I’m really lost for words but it’s a great moment. I’ll remember this forever. I’m like, if you give me an opportunity I’m going to take it every time. I don’t know it is but I’m really proud of myself right now.”
Littler, the two-time world champion and world No 1, was far below his best in Manchester, hitting well below his usual average. He had also faced a match dart during his leg against Ireland’s Pearse Mackle, who missed bullseye for £501,000.
But the 19-year-old Littler “Brilliant. That’s what one person had to do, win the bull and go out with 15 and that’s exactly what Fallon did. When she missed the first double top I thought, ‘give me a chance’. But she didn’t. World class.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s been good. Maybe we can do it again next year.”
