Fallon Sherrock beaten in the semi-final and will now turn her attention to winning a place at the World Championship via the Women's Series over the weekend
Friday 16 October 2020 20:33, UK
Lisa Ashton will be back at the Grand Slam of Darts after coming through Friday's women's qualifier to beat Corrine Hammond in the final in Barnsley.
Ashton proved too strong for Australia's Hammond, who had come from behind to beat Fallon Sherrock in the last four, winning 5-0 with a dominant display that underlined her class.
The Lancashire Rose, who made PDC history by winning her Tour Card at Q-School in January, has gone from strength-to-strength on the Pro Tour this season and alongside Sherrock was among the favourites to win Friday's qualifier.
Ashton beat Christina Cronin, Marie O'Brien, Sherrock's sister Felicia, Vicky Prium and Deta Hedman on her way to the final, and Hammond had no answer in the final as Ashton averaged 87.
The 50-year-old will join BDO world champion Mikuru Suzuki in this year's Grand Slam of Darts, which will be live on Sky Sports in November, as the pair return 12 months on after they played in last year's tournament.
They battled their way through a field of 74 players on a groundbreaking weekend for the PDC and women's darts.
Friday's qualifier is the first of three days of competition for female players - the first time the PDC have offered the women's game a dedicated run of events.
Hammond had beaten Fallon Sherrock in the semi-final, denying the 'Queen of the Palace' a debut at the Grand Slam nine months on from her sensational first appearance at the World Championship.
Sherrock had made history in becoming the first woman to beat a man at the World Championship when she knocked out Ted Evetts in the first round, and followed up with a win over Mensur Suljovic before finally bowing out to Chris Dobey.
Sherrock's twin sister, Felicia, was beaten by Ashton after a run to the last 16, while talented youngster Beau Greaves fell at the quarter-final stage with women's world youth champion Katie Sheldon beaten by experienced Dutch thrower Anca Zijlstra in the last 16.
Russia's Anastasia Dobromyslova, who has twice featured at the Grand Slam, beating Vincent van der Voort in the group stage in 2009, lost to Hedman in the quarter-finals.
On Saturday and Sunday, four events will take place and at the end, an Order of Merit will provide the top two players with a place at this year's World Championship.
Darts in back on Sky Sports in November with a double bill, starting with three days of coverage from the World Cup of Darts (Nov 6-8) and continuing with nine days of the Grand Slam of Darts which gets underway on November 16.
