Lisa Ashton claimed a shock victory the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay after surviving 11 match darts to defeat Fallon Sherrock in a final-leg thriller in Blackpool.

The fifth seed saw off Ireland’s Robyn Byrne in her quarter-final and then dumped out back-to-back champion Beau Greaves in the semi-final, before coming through a thrilling contest against Sherrock to win the event for the first time.

Ashton opened with an 85 finish in the opening leg and added a 15-dart break to grab early control of a tight contest, only for Sherrock to deliver a 13-dart hold to spark a run of three consecutive legs.

Sherrock fell behind when Ashton followed a hold in the sixth leg by firing a 72 checkout to edge ahead against the throw, but responded by winning the next two legs to move 5-4 ahead in the best-of-11 encounter.

Ashton capitalised on eight missed darts from Sherrock to hold throw in the tenth and take the contest to a final-leg decider, where she took advantage of more poor finishing from the 2022 champion to seal victory with a 64 finish.

“I’m so, so happy,” Ashton told Sky Sports. “I finally got there! I’m lost for words. I’ve finally done it. The crowd lifted me, kept me going. I never gave up. I’ve been up and down, but it finally clicked together.”

How Ashton beat Greaves and Sherrock to Blackpool title

Greaves fired a 96.12 average in a comfortable 4-1 victory over Kirsi Viinikainen in the tournament opener, where she opened with a 15-darter but dropped her only leg in the next after missing five darts at double against the throw.

The 21-year-old responded with a 13-dart hold, took out double one to seal a 15-dart break in the next and then nailed an 89 finish to wrap up victory, with Ashton her next opponent after the veteran claimed a 4-2 victory over Ireland’s Robyn Byrne.

The pre-tournament favourite won the opening leg of her semi-final against but fell 3-1 down when Ashton broke with a 60 finish and then capitalised on eight missed darts at double from Greaves to hold throw with a stunning 140 finish in the next.

Greaves kept her hopes alive with a brilliant 13-darter in the seventh leg, only for Ashton to win the next with a 46 checkout to book a final against Sherrock and avoid a fourth consecutive semi-final exit.

Sherrock raced into a three-leg lead in her quarter-final but saw Hayter post an 85 finish to break as part of a three-leg burst, with Sherrock then surviving a match dart to sneak through with a 20-dart finish.

Her semi-final also went the distance against Van Leuven, who brushed aside Lorraine Winstanley in straight legs in her quarter final, with Sherrock grabbing the initial advantage after winning a scrappy opening leg in 27 darts.

The next six legs went against the throw before Van Leuven levelled with a sensational 116 checkout, taking the contest to a final-leg decider, where both players missed match darts before Sherrock snatched victory on double one.

Sherrock outscored Ashton in the final, posting a 89.61 average compared to her opponent’s 85.49, but only converted five of her 22 attempts at double to leave herself finishing runner-up.

“To be fair I’m quite proud of myself,” Sherrock told Sky Sports. “I felt I played better here than I have in the last few months.”

Women’s World Matchplay results

Quarter-finals (best of seven legs)
Beau Greaves 4-1 Kirsi Viinikainen
Lisa Ashton 4-2 Robyn Byrne
Noa-Lynn van Leuven 4-0 Lorraine Winstanley
Fallon Sherrock 4-3 Gemma Hayter

Semi-finals (best of nine legs)
Beau Greaves 3-5 Lisa Ashton
Noa-Lynn van Leuven 4-5 Fallon Sherrock

Final (best of 11 legs)
Lisa Ashton 6-5 Fallon Sherrock

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