Why Beau Greaves CAN’T defend world title and play Luke Littler and Co at Ally Pally

BEAU GREAVES will not be able to play at the PDC World Darts Championship later this year if she opts to defend her women’s WDF world title.

Greaves, 21, enjoyed an impressive run at the UK Open in Minehead last weekend – the first woman to win three successive matches at the tournament.

ITVX

Beau Greaves took on Luke Humphries over the weekend[/caption]

Getty

Greaves, 21, is the reigning women’s world champion[/caption]

Following wins over Stefan Bellmont, Rhys Griffin and Mickey Mansell, she led world No.1 Luke Humphries 7-5 in their fourth round game.

The Donacaster thrower went on to lose the next five legs to the former world champion, but Humphries gushed over her talent after the contest.

Cool Hand Luke said: “She belongs in big-time darts. If we were in a Premier League game, she would have beaten me there.

“She’s still very young but she’s got a massive future ahead of her. I’m going to be sharing the stage with her a lot more.

“I really enjoyed it, that’s what I said to her afterwards. It was great fun, she was amazing. She played so great.

“I think she dropped off in the end, that’s what she said, but the long format she’s probably not used to playing. She’s a fantastic player there and she really had to bring the best out of me.”

While Humphries believes that Greaves belongs on the biggest stages, she may well once again be thwarted from playing on the greatest of them all at Alexandra Palace in December.

Due to a legal Tomlin order placed in 1997 following the PDC/BDO split, players cannot play in two world darts championships in one year.

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS

This therefore means that if Greaves wants to compete at Ally Pally, she would have to forego defending her women’s world title, which she won in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The Yorkshire thrower is not happy about the rule, and has indicated that she will again choose to play the Women’s World Darts Championship at Lakeside.

Speaking last year, she said: “It’s a shame they make you choose. I don’t understand that. I don’t know why they do. I think it’s stupid. I wouldn’t go on and win Ally Pally.

“I’d give it a good crack and see if I played well. But, ultimately, I want to be a ladies’ world champion and we’ll see if I can do that again in December.”

Women’s world No.1 Greaves attempted to earn a PDC Tour Card in January.

She headed to Q-School in Milton Keynes, but fell in the second round to Carl Sneyd.

Greaves plays on the PDC Women’s Series and will be favourite to win the PDC Women’s World Matchplay in Blackpool for a third successive time this July.