Darts has always had a loyal following among pub circuits and community recreational leagues worldwide. Recently, the sport has seen a sharp increase in youth participation, leading to a rapidly growing fanbase. One reason is Luke Littler (“The Nuke”), and another is “The Queen of the Palace,” Fallon Sherrock.
The new face of a sport once reserved for smoky barrooms has catalyzed a new wave of phenomenal dart players who are sending a message to aspiring athletes. The message is that darts are becoming cool, and with some method of training, commitment to practice, and basic equipment, anyone can become at least proficient in the sport. Darts has entered pop culture and mainstream media, as shown in this epic scene in Ted Lasso.
One reason for this is the arrival of generational talent, and there is no dividing line between genders in terms of top competition and the potential to declare a World Champion. In addition to Littler, whom many feel to be the GOAT and whose dynamic and illustrious career is just getting started, there is Fallon Sherrock, a 30-year-old sharpshooter who has solidified her legendary status in darts folklore by becoming the first-ever woman to hit a 9-darter at a Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) event. That accomplishment is achieved when a player checks out and finishes a game of 501 in exactly nine darts, the minimum possible and rare achievement considered the holy grail of accomplishments in the sport.
A look into a potential matchup at the upcoming World Darts Championship between these two players offers all fans–from the introductory and curious to the seasoned expert–a lens into what the fuss is about and why darts is seeing such a meteoric rise in popularity.
Luke Littler, “The Nuke” (photo courtesy Flashscore.com)
Like Jordan or Lebron, Ruth or Mays, Nicklaus or Woods, etc., the sport of darts has its GOAT debate, but within the past year, the title of GOAT in darts has been under extraordinary scrutiny and debate. Over three decades, that distinction and honor were bestowed to England’s Phil Taylor, a record 16-time World Champion.
While it is impossible to project the number of World titles young Littler will accumulate in his career, for this argument, let’s use the televised 9-dart finish as our metric for measured stardom. Littler, also of England, and The Nuke as they call him, is the youngest player to hit a “broadcast” nine-darter when he achieved the feat at age 14 in 2021.
En route to becoming the youngest player to have won a match in the WDF Darts Championship and the PDC World Darts Championship, The Nuke is the youngest to hit a televised 9-darter. He accomplished this feat earlier this year as a 16-year-old at the Bahrain Darts Masters. He now has three total nine darters for this calendar year.
With four of these feats currently on record (and at a remarkably young age), it would seem very reasonable to predict that he could surpass Phil Taylor’s record (N=10) over an entire career of competition. Littler is putting global exposure and coverage of the sport of darts on a whole new level, maybe for the first time, creating a surge of interest among young players and incentivizing them to try and possibly compete.
Fallon Sherrock, “Queen of the Palace” (photo courtesy PDC)
The same can be said for Fallon Sherrock, nicknamed The Queen of the Palace, who has proven that the top women can hold the fort and even topple the best male competition. In addition to Sherrock’s 9-dart finish, Sherrock beat two top-ranked men (Ted Evetts and Mensur Sulijovic) before losing to the popular Chris Dobey in the 3rd round of the 2019 PDC World Championship.
The strong showing at that event’s “Alexandra Palace” venue created a recognizable and marketable nickname. Sherrock has emerged not just as one of the faces of women’s darts but as a legitimate threat to take down the best of the best, regardless of gender. She now sits second in the rankings of the PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit, behind fellow country person Beau Greaves, another young phenom who, at the age of 20, appears poised to take down some of the men.
With an opening-round win against Ryan Meikle in the upcoming championship tournament, Fallon Sherrock will be set to face off against The Nuke, Litter. Will we see a 9-darter? It would seem that there is a solid chance of this happening in real-time.
One thing for sure is that darts’ future as a blended sport with no dividing lines for gender appears to be in solid hands. I encourage anyone curious to watch for yourself on December 15 and see how exciting the sport of darts can be!
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Credit Resources: skysports.com >Home>Darts
Wikipedia Bio: Luke Littler, Fallon Sherrock
Fellow Dart Enthusiast and Friend, Dean Grady
