Fallon Sherrock has been handed a spot in the main draw at the PDC World Darts Championship, but some fans are not happy with the decision. Sherrock rose to fame back in 2020, when she became the first woman to ever win a match at the World Championships — earning her the nickname the “Queen of the Palace”. This year, though, she failed to qualify for the event initially –– losing to teenager Beau Greaves, who will join Lisa Ashton at Alexandra Palace next month. The 28-year-old also lost all three of her matches at the Grand Slam of Darts and failed to secure a PDC Tour Card at Q School. However, the PDC has now created an extra spot for the Women’s World Matchplay winner, thereby granting Sherrock entry into the competition. 

What has Sherrock said? 

Sherrock defeated Aileen de Graaf in the inaugural World Matchplay final in July and thanked the PDC for giving women the chance to feature on the big stage. 

"That was a wonderful day for me and I'm proud to have won,” she stressed.

"The PDC have done amazing things for women's darts in recent years and that’s given us the platform to play at the highest level. 

Speaking on her inclusion in the World Championships this year, Sherrock said: "It's great I will now get to go back to Ally Pally.”

VIDEO: Fallon Sherrock beats Ted Evetts at 2020 World Championships

What have fans said about Sherrock’s inclusion? 

A number of fans have questioned why the PDC has changed their rules, while others believe the PDC should be making more of an effort to promote Greaves and Ashton instead. 

One said: "She could have done with the break away from the spotlight while Beau and Lisa played at the world's and took some of the attention off her.  It’s clearly affecting her game atm.”

Another echoed this thought and wrote: "It’s about time you [Sky Sports] and [the] @OfficialPDC give Lisa and Beau a bit more promotion and praise? They have worked hard to qualify and then you change the goalposts last minute to allow Fallon a spot? This is as bent as FIFA.” 

A third put: "Joke of a decision. [Sherrock] had every chance to qualify and failed to do so. It should be the same rules for everyone. Sky and PDC lose a lot of credibility with this decision.” 

When is the 2022 Darts World Championship? 

This year’s competition gets underway on Wednesday, December 14th and will run until Monday, January 2nd. 

There have been 10 different winners of the tournament since its inception in 1994, with Scotland’s Peter Wright the defending champion.

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