So Fallon has finally fallen, the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship losing in the third round having thrilled a raucously partisan crowd and terrified Chris Dobey during a dramatically poised opening four sets before eventually losing 4-2.
Even for the notoriously noisy Alexandra Palace audience there were unusual scenes as Fallon Sherrock came out and took control. Dobey – a widely liked 29-year-old from just outside Newcastle described as “the nicest man in the world” by Glen Durrant, whom he will now play in round four – was booed on entry and whenever he produced a decent dart while Sherrock’s high points had audience members – many of them clad in blonde wigs and pink shirts in her honour – literally hugging in the aisles.
Such was the volume of support during Sherrock’s victories against Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic in the first two rounds that she considered even this a bit of a step down. “I did feel sorry for him about the booing and stuff,” she said, “but I don’t think the crowd was as bad as they’ve been. I think they’ve calmed down a little bit.”
For Dobey, however, the atmosphere was wild enough to prompt him to play in earplugs.
“I knew I was in for a tough battle, with the crowd against us,” he said. “It’s not nice to be booed but who’s going to shut 3,000 fans up? I never normally wear them but I was out watching Ted’s game with Fallon and the crowd was loud, and I practised with them in and it felt good.”
If Dobey initially felt a little ill at ease in the unique atmosphere Sherrock has inspired at this year’s championship, it was evident in his play.
Sherrock settled instantly, landing three 180s in the first two legs, and, though Dobey scored much better throughout, what divided them in this opening period was the fact that he repeatedly fluffed his checkouts while Sherrock’s landed dead centre.
After two sets he had succeeded with only four of 19 double attempts against Sherrock’s five out of eight, and the nadir was reached in the very next leg when he missed three shots at a double eight before Sherrock stepped up and nailed a 142 checkout.
The cumulative pressure imposed by Sherrock’s excellence in these key moments told in the sweat on Dobey’s lip and the speed with which he rushed and rued his own checkout attempts. Dobey levelled the match at 2-2, totally controlling the fourth set, but even then, with each player having won eight legs, he had needed 31 double attempts to Sherrock’s 15.
But Sherrock had been reliant throughout on Dobey’s dreadful doubles and, when he conjured from somewhere a dramatic improvement, there was nowhere for her to go but down. Eventually he landed six of his last nine attempts to accelerate through the last two sets.
“I know I’m a big scorer, it’s just whether my doubles go in,” Dobey said. “I’m never a beaten man. I know I can come from behind. I just felt I had something more left in the tank and I brought it out towards the end of the match.”
He will now face the Middlesbrough-born Durrant on Saturday in a north-east derby, after the No 27 seed beat Daryl Gurney, seeded sixth, also 4-2. “Fallon’s done me a huge favour. Nobody’s shown any interest in me whatsoever and that’s perfect for me, just coming in from the back there,” he said. “All the interest and all the focus is on Fallon and nobody’s shown a jot of interest in me, and that suits me down to the ground.”
Earlier Simon “The Wizard” Whitlock had executed a turnaround surprising even to himself to beat Mervyn King by the apparently straightforward scoreline of 4-1 despite enduring a miserable start in which he lost the first five legs.
It is nine years now since the Australian reached the final but a renewed focus since he missed out on a place at this year’s Grand Slam of Darts has improved his form and confidence.
“Merv had me under his thumb,” he said. “I don’t know what happened to him – he seemed to switch off at one point and I took full advantage.”
King’s prolonged spell in the doldrums ended only when he was two sets down, and after the 148 checkout with which his opponent pilfered the fourth set there was no coming back.
“I believe in the practice I’ve done,” said Whitlock. “I’ve been practising for three to five hours a day, which I haven’t done for 10 years. It’s a new Wizard.”
In the evening session there was a shock when two-time world champion Gary Anderson lost 4-2 to Nathan Aspinall. Michael van Gerwen restored order, however, when he cruised through, beating Stephen Bunting 4-0. Gerwyn Price defeated John Henderson by the same score. Van Gerwen, the No1 seed, said: “I was quite surprised with Gary. I was looking forward to a potential semi-final.”
