Beat Luke Littler: Fallon Sherrock 'should not have been selected to play' in Netflix show but you can't blame 'Queen of the Palace'

But this was not Sherrock's first foray into the limelight as she created history by becoming the first woman to win at the World Championship when she made the third round in December 2019, and she went on to break several other barriers in the game, including becoming the first woman to reach the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts.

The 32-year-old, who was presented to the crowd in Manchester as being a hairdresser from Milton Keyes, had made more darting history in 2023 when she became the first female to produce a televised nine-dart finish.

But her inclusion in the line-up for the TV show, attracted criticism given her stature in the game, even if she met the criteria for applicants because she does not hold a PDC Tour Card.

"The backlash Fallon got is nothing she's done wrong," Webster told Sky Sports . "Ultimately, I don't think she should have been selected to play, but then you can't blame Fallon for going to try and win half a million pounds in fair play.

"It was a good leg. But look, I don't think the backlash will bother her.

"She's got a few quid, hasn't she? So she'll just crack on. People forget about these things. She just needs to get herself ready for the rest of the year now.

"She'll be quite chilled. I'm not saying she has financial burdens, but that's going to really help going forward - doing things for her."

Darts prodigy Jayden Walker, 14, who has been labelled the next Littler by fans and has taken a leg off 'The Nuke' at an exhibition event, did get a shot over one leg, but lost, while WDF No 1 Mitchell Lawrie, 15, failed to get his chance despite all the pre-event hype .

Webster thinks the format of the show was unfair, saying: "I don't think she should have been able to play. I didn't like the way it was made as an amateur beats Luke Littler, and a lot of them weren't amateurs. Fallon's a professional player.

"I think Mitchell Lawrie was due to play as well, but he didn't get on. I do think they should have played out the remaining legs and then they could have chipped away at Fallon's money if they'd won. So one more win, they split Fallon's money, just for a bit of jeopardy.

"I thought it was a brilliant show. The production was fantastic.

"The concept of it was good. I just think the selection process is kind of a bit of a grey area."

Hearn: Sherrock is not a PDC Tour Card holder

PDC chief Barry Hearn, who was involved in the audition process, defended the line-up.

Asked whether Sherrock's inclusion was unfair, he said: "No, not at all. She's not a PDC Tour Card holder. She's entitled to enter. Why should she be denied?

"She's a well-known player and she's a very good player. But Mitchell Lawrie is a very well-known player and an excellent player.

"Do you want just a series of 20 matches where someone can't even throw a dart? No, of course we want excellence competing against excellence, and that's what it was all about."

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