Women's World Matchplay darts: Defending champion looking forward to Blackpool return

Sherrock, who defeated Aileen de Graaf to win last year’s inaugural event, is among the headline acts at this year’s Winter Gardens showpiece, taking place this afternoon.

The £25,000 event sees eight of the game’s leading stars vying for glory on the Fylde coast.

Beau Greaves has dominated the pre-tournament headlines, having won 15 of 20 events on the PDC Women’s Series circuit during the last year.

However, Sherrock heads to Blackpool in confident mood after ending her 12-month wait for a Women’s Series title in Hildesheim last month.

“I’m so excited to be going back to Blackpool,” she revealed.

“I feel like my game is slowly getting back to the level I want and I’m just eager to get up there and show everyone how well I’m playing again.

“I didn’t feel my game was good enough (late last year) but I’ve been putting in the hours and the effort again.

“Obviously I had the nine-darter (on the Challenge Tour) and I felt that my game was improving around Q School. It just needed a few tweaks.

“I’ve been playing more competitive darts and trying to get more practice in before this tournament, so hopefully it pays off!”

Sherrock will kick off her title defence against four-time women’s world champion Lisa Ashton, seeded sixth in this year’s tournament.

Mikuru Suzuki or de Graaf await the winner before a potential date against top seed Greaves for the £10,000 top prize.

“Talk about throwing me in at the deep end!” joked Sherrock, who insists that pressure is a privilege rather than a burden.

“I’m going into Blackpool and I’m thinking that nobody is expecting me to win because they’ve got their eyes on Beau.

“I will try and go under the radar again and I think there’s much less expectation this time.

“I do prefer having the tougher games though because it makes you play and it brings out your best game because you want to showcase what you can do.

“It also shows you how much you’re able to deal with the pressure and I think that’s what I strive to do.”

Sunday will mark Sherrock’s first big stage appearance since she was awarded an MBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list, recognising her contribution to the sport.

The 29-year-old first grabbed the headline with wins over Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic at the 2019/2020 World Darts Championship, as well as reaching the Nordic Darts Masters final and Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals in 2021.

Sherrock, who has also won 11 Women’s Series title since the tour’s inception in 2020, was also the first woman to hit a nine-darter in a PDC event – doing so on the Winmau Challenge Tour earlier this year.

However, Sherrock – who is set to receive her MBE in January – admits the magnitude of the accolade is yet to sink in.

“I’m so proud because I know just how big it actually is,” she added.

“I think it will take me a couple of years once I’ve settled down to realise how big this is, but I’m so proud of myself. It’s a huge honour for me.”