As Beau Greaves prepares for her World Championship debut, Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock will be in action in Wolverhampton watch the Grand Slam of Darts - live on Sky Sports - from 12-20 November at the Aldersley Leisure Village
Friday 4 November 2022 11:19, UK
Beau Greaves "will scare a lot of players" at the World Darts Championship, says Laura Turner, who is also backing Lisa Ashton to get her first win at Ally Pally and Fallon Sherrock to bounce back from the disappointment of the Women's Series.
Greaves secured qualification for the Worlds in sensational style, extending her winning run on the PDC Women's Series to 52 matches with two further titles in Wigan.
The 18-year-old from Doncaster maintained her unstoppable form to seal an Alexandra Palace debut alongside Order of Merit leader Lisa Ashton.
Greaves remarkably didn't feature in the year's first 12 events, but after winning four consecutive titles in Hildesheim, Germany back in August, she repeated the feat in Wigan to create more history with eight tournament victories in a row.
Sky Sports pundit Turner was on the receiving end of a Greaves 98.56 three-dart average whitewash in the last 16 of Event 17.
The chastening experience may have left Turner reeling, but she was full of admiration for the talented teenager, calling her achievement "unbelievable".
"She joined the Women's Series after the Matchplay so I think her goal if you look at it retrospectively was to make the Matchplay for next year. I don't think it popped into her mind the World Championship was a possibility with Lisa and Fallon being so far ahead," admitted Turner.
"Just to play in those last eight events and not just win everything but also confirm her spot at the World Championship is unbelievable. We have never seen it on the men's or the women's tour before so it's an unbelievable achievement and a superb advert for darts.
"I had a chat with Beau over the weekend and she's just so chilled. She takes everything in her stride. She is playing darts and enjoying it. That's her focus and it's paying dividends for her."
"It's her ability because if she can take her form up there I think she's going to scare a lot of players and I'm not sure anyone really wants to draw her in that first round"
Turner says Greaves, Ashton and Sherrock are so far ahead and it will take time for the rest to catch up with the trio.
She said: "We're all in a similar situation because you know that if you get a chance at a double you have got to take it. If you miss anything she will pounce. It's the consistency Beau, Lisa and Fallon have got.
"We can all put in a 14-dart leg here and a 12-dart leg there but we don't follow it up consistently. It's darts like we have never seen before but long may it continue. We've just to get better."
Greaves, nicknamed 'Beau 'n' Arrow', will now head to the iconic Alexandra Palace to take on the best players on planet darts. It's an occasion Turner feels the Doncaster ace can easily cope with.
"I'd like to think she can handle the pressure over the format of the Worlds. She takes everything in her stride and is comfortable on that stage now. She's also very, very comfortable on the floor," Turner said.
"It's her ability because if she can take her form up there I think she's going to scare a lot of players and I'm not sure anyone really wants to draw her in that first round.
"You can get carried away with the level she's playing at, but I think for her it's important to remain focused on that goal which is to enjoy darts and play well. She has spoken openly about having to cope with dartitis and how she has overcome that. She's not just overcome it, she's come back stronger.
"That level-head that she's got is really quite key to how she plays at the moment.
"The draw at the Worlds is going to be quite key, but she averaged 107 in that Event 19 final against Fallon so if she takes that up there, who's to say she won't progress far in the tournament."
Ashton made a bit of history back in March by claiming her first win on TV as a PDC Tour Card holder with victory over Aaron Beeney at the UK Open.
The win will have boosted her confidence of sealing a maiden victory at Alexandra Palace as she gets ready to make her fourth appearance at the World Championship
Turner said: "Lisa has been relatively close before and we have now seen her win on the stage at the UK Open. She's an experienced player. So long as she doesn't overthink it, she can go up there and do what she's been doing as well. Depending on the draw, there is no reason why Lisa can't get that first win on that Ally Pally stage."
And how will Sherrock bounce back from the disappointment of the Women's Series? Turner admits 'The Queen of the Palace' may be dispirited, but she expects her to make amends at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton later this month.
Sherrock became the first woman to make it through to the knockout stages of the tournament last year before pushing Peter 'Snakebite' Wright all the way before going down 16-13 in an epic quarter-final.
"Fallon was in a comfortable position but she couldn't attend the Events in Hildesheim due to the World Series of Darts so it kind of opened the door slightly. I don't think anyone expected someone to rock up and win eight events in a row, so I kind of understand it was a bit of a risk to miss that one," said Turner.
"She will be disappointed but she's got the Grand Slam of Darts to look forward to. She did really well there last year and hopefully she can bounce back quickly because we know when she's up on that stage, that's when she can perform her best darts."
Turner added: "Fallon has always been able to take everything in her stride. She enjoys that stage environment and she does tend to perform. The talent and ability is there but where her mind is at the moment - I'm not sure. Hopefully she'll be able to put in a good performance alongside Lisa."
