Webster: Sherrock Should Not Have Been Picked for Netflix Show Beating Littler

Sky Sports darts pundit Mark Webster believes English player Fallon Sherrock should not have been chosen for the Netflix show 'Beat Luke Littler'. In the show, staged in Manchester, Sherrock beat two-time world champion Luke Littler in a single leg of 501 and won £501,000, the second biggest prize in darts history.

Who Sherrock is

The 32-year-old was introduced to the crowd as a hairdresser from Milton Keynes. In December 2019 she became the first woman to win a match at the World Championship by reaching the third round. She later became the first woman to reach the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts, and in 2023 the first woman to hit a televised nine-dart finish.

Her inclusion drew criticism given her standing in the sport, even though she met the entry criteria because she does not hold a PDC Tour Card, the card that gives professional tour status.

Webster's view

Webster said Sherrock had done nothing wrong and could not be blamed for trying to win half a million pounds. Still, he argued she should not have played. He also disliked the show being framed as an amateur beating Littler when many contestants were not amateurs. He suggested the remaining contestants could have played out their legs, with any wins splitting Sherrock's prize. He called the show brilliant but the selection process a grey area.

Irish student Pearse Mackie came close to beating Littler. Jayden Walker, 14, played one leg and lost, while 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie, the WDF (World Darts Federation) world number one, never got to play.

Hearn's response

PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) chief Barry Hearn, who was involved in the audition process, rejected the criticism. He said Sherrock is not a Tour Card holder, so she was entitled to enter and there was no reason to deny her.