Gurney an obstacle too far for Greaves in battle of the sexes at World Darts Championship

Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, leg-by-leg coverage of Daryl Gurney v Beau Greaves at the PDC World Darts Championship. This is arguably the tie of the first round, a mouthwatering clash between Gurney, a former major winner and two-time World Championship quarter-finalist, and Greaves, the 21-year-old phenomenon of women’s darts.

It’s a reflection of Greaves’ ability that she is the favourite against a player of Gurney’s calibre. She has never won a game at Ally Pally – this is only her second appearance – but she has been almost unbeatable on the women’s tour, winning over 50 titles, and no player in the history of women’s darts has consistently posted such high averages. In October, Greaves beat Luke Littler 6-5 at the World Youth Championship, averaging 105 in the process.

While Fallon Sherrock will forever be the first lady of darts, having broken the glass ceiling with her wins over Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic in the 2020 tournament, Greaves has the potential to eventually become the first woman to win a mixed-sex competition.

Gurney, the world No22, won the World Cup for Northern Ireland this year alongside Josh Rock. He also reached the quarter-finals at Ally Pally in 2017 and 2021; in the second of those appearances he took the eventual winner Gerwyn Price to a last-leg decider. He’s not always the most even-tempered on stage, so his ability to handle the excesses of a Greaves-supporting crowd may well be crucial to the eventual outcome.

The players are due on the oche around 8.15pm. The winner will meet Callan Rydz in the last 64.