Luke Littler beat an Australian jockey, a waste collector and a restaurant manager, among others.
She could not defeat the “Queen of the Palace”.
A one-off Netflix release called “Beat Luke Littler” offered a prize of 501,000 pounds (about $670,000) to anyone deemed a darts amateur who could beat the 19-year-old prodigy on one leg.
Reigning world champion Littler had to fend off 20 opponents and had already dispatched 14 when she met Fallon Sherrock, who shot to fame when she became the first woman to beat a man (she actually beat two men) at the Alexandra Palace in late 2019 at darts’ flagship world championships.
Sherrock came closer to the target than Littler to win the first toss, with Littler stranded on 142 while a maximum of 180 left him on 43. A double 20 payout saw Sherrock claim the jackpot – the second biggest prize won in the history of the sport, behind the £1 million ($1.33 million) check the winner won at the world championships.
“It’s like an opportunity to show off women’s stars, and I feel like I’m taking that opportunity again,” she said, referring to her achievements in 2019, which earned her the nickname “Queen of the Court” and saw her receive congratulatory messages from the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Billie Jean King.
“I beat the best in the world and I don’t get to say that too often.”
Sherrock was allowed to compete because he was not a member of the senior PDC Tour and was classified as an amateur, leading to some criticism on social media.
Sherrock said he was “very happy to overcome all the hate.”
“I want to say it’s been a difficult process,” he told Britain’s Press Association. “Because of course I see the reaction and all the negative comments.
“But at the end of the day I fit the criteria for that. I’ve never had a tour card and I wouldn’t really classify myself as a professional either because all I do is play darts for the fun of it.”
Littler played single-legged matches every 10 minutes at the event in Manchester late on Friday.
Irish student Pearse Mackie, the eighth competitor to face Littler, was the first to throw a dart for victory, but missed the target.
Mark Pooke, who played Phil Taylor, widely regarded as the best darts player ever, in a professional match almost 20 years ago, also had darts to win in the ninth game but failed to make 138.
Littler said he wants to do it all over again.
“I enjoyed every bit of it,” he said. “Advertising, photo shoots, everything.”
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