By Phil Lanning and Paul Woodage
EXCLUSIVE
LISA ASHTON celebrated qualifying for the PDC World Championship with a cup of tea and ham sandwich.
But it was heartbreak for Fallon Sherrock who missed out on a chance to repeat her Ally Pally exploits of last December on legs won.
The Milton Keynes star won the Women’s Series event four final in Barnsley this evening but agonisingly failed to make the top two places on the amount of legs won over the entire weekend’s events.
Lisa Ashton and Deta Hedman finished in the top two, both having also won earlier events with Hedman taking her place in the Worlds aged 61.
Hedman lost 4-2 to Sherrock in the quarters yesterday but that was still enough for her to squeeze through by the narrowest of margins.
Four-times Ladies World Champ Ashton became the first woman to win a tour card in January and also qualified for the Grand Slam on Friday night.
She said: “This weekend couldn’t have gone any better really. To play in the PDC World Championships is a dream come true. I’m absolutely ecstatic and going home to celebrate with a ham sandwich and brew!
“Hopefully I can raise my game and keep playing the way I am. I will do proper preparation. I just want to show what I can do and obviously do as well as the Fallon did a year ago and get as far as I can.
“It’s been a great weekend for the women’s game. I’m just happy to have qualified for the Grand Slam and World Championships.”
Lancashire Rose Ashton performed brilliantly on Friday securing a place in the Grand Slam then continued that form to win two of the opening three weekend series events. Going into the fourth and final tournament a top two spot was all but secured and when she reached the quarter final it was confirmed.
However the fairytale story of the weekend has to go to Deta Hedman. The veteran rolled back the years and put in some fantastic displays to qualify the the PDC World Championships for the very first time in her long and illustrious career.
On an exciting final day, the Jamaican born legend sealed second place on legs difference from Fallon Sherrock. The Queen of the Palace was desperately looking for a return to the venue which began her meteoric rise to fame but gave herself too much to do going into Sunday.
Hedman and Sherrock met in the quarter finals of the last event of the weekend and a win for the 60-year-old would have guaranteed her qualification outright but it was Fallon who won their fourth meeting of the series.
Despite Fallon Sherrock going on to victory defeating Corrine Hammond in the final it was the lady nicknamed the Glass Ceiling Destroyer who pinched second spot by virtue of a superior number of legs won. Hedman will now make history as the oldest woman to compete in the PDC World Championships.