Perhaps the least surprising news in darts these days is Beau Greaves claiming a PDC Women’s Series title. Well, I’m here to not really shock anyone when I report that the Doncaster prodigy won both of Saturday’s double-headers.
Wigan, Milton Keynes, a small township in Africa or on the moon – it makes no odds where the location is – Beau is just a winning machine. This year alone, that makes her tally on that tour eleven, missing out just three times on claiming the prize.
Right now, the Yorkshire destroyer – careful not to use another name there which is already taken alongside that county by someone you absolutely do not wish to be associated with – is cleaning up everywhere she goes. So much so, her Wikipedia page is now longer than the wait for a ride at Alton Towers. Not that kind of ride! Although those ones would be far quicker.
You name it, she’s won it. And to her delight and all the other ladies’ absolute misery every time she walks through the venue door, she took the opening tour of this weekend’s Robin Park quartet.
It comes to the point where we may as well look at how many legs she lost – or massive averages and even nine-darters.
Event one – or if we are looking from an annual sequential stance, which we may as well – number thirteen of the year. Unlucky for some, not for Beau, who simply glares in the face of superstition before saying, “Hold my coat.”
It was Vicky Pruim’s turn this time to be one of Greaves’ defeated finalist victims, with the 22-year-old not even letting the Belgian-born Swede get a leg. Average-wise, this event was far from full-blast Beau, only getting into the 90s once. But it seems there are more gears than a Formula One car there if needed. Oh, and the “legs lost” count for that tournament – just six. And half of them were conceded against Jade Gofford in the semi-final, who can take huge confidence from even getting close.
Onto the second event. By now, all the other girls had been busy making little Beau Greaves voodoo dolls and spent the break tying their hands together. Didn’t work, as the Yorkshire Ace won that one too.
Once again, just half a dozen legs dropped, with Ireland’s Aoife McCormack walking away with the “I got the most off her” T-shirt, which had a big ‘three’ printed on it.
In the final, Mrs Polish Eagle, Karolina Ratajska, managed to get a chalk on the scoreboard, but she needed five before Beau reached that figure. It didn’t happen. And before anyone tells me I have spelt Krzysztof’s surname wrong – nope. Sticking an A on the end is how they roll for married ladies in Poland, apparently.
Just a word of acknowledgement to Aileen de Graaf – no relation to Jeff, but I couldn’t swear to that. Despite not entering the winners’ circle, the Dutch superstar enjoyed two semi-final runs, giving her Women’s Matchplay hopes a huge boost. Match that on Sunday and she could well be heading to Blackpool. As for Beau, she had her hotel booked months ago and even a nice collection of bucket and spades.
