Fallon Sherrock is the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Darts Championship, nicknamed Queen of the Palace. Here's what actually happened in her two 2019 wins, the health condition she manages during every match, and the darts family behind her.
Who is Fallon Sherrock: where "Queen of the Palace" comes from
Sherrock was born in 1994 in Milton Keynes, England, and worked as a mobile hairdresser before focusing on darts full-time. Her nickname Queen of the Palace comes from Alexandra Palace, the venue that hosts the PDC World Championship, earned after her historic run there.
2019 World Championship: beating a male player, then a top-11 seed
At the 2019/20 PDC World Championship's first round, Sherrock beat Ted Evetts 3-2, becoming the first woman to win a match at the tournament. In round two she drew Mensur Suljović, the world number 11 at the time, and won again 3-1, closing out the deciding leg with a bullseye. Alexandra Palace sang "There's only one Fallon Sherrock" as she celebrated. She lost her third-round match to Chris Dobey, but the two wins were already history.
Why she needs water within reach: a lifelong kidney condition
Sherrock was treated for a kidney problem in 2017; the medication caused facial swelling at the time, which drew online criticism she later turned into motivation. The condition means she's teetotal and has to keep drinking water constantly during matches, so a bottle by the oche isn't a habit, it's a necessity. In 2025 she announced a break after the kidney condition began affecting her stamina.
Her son Rory, and a whole family that plays darts
Sherrock is a single mother to her son Rory, born in 2014, who has autism. She's said she now sets up a second board next to hers when she practices, because he wants to throw too. Darts runs in the whole family: her father Steve is an electrician and her mother Sue works as a supermarket cashier, and both played county-level darts; her twin sister Felicia is also a player, and the two won youth titles together and represented England as a pair.
What she opened up: the PDC Women's Series
Those two World Championship wins helped open the door for women to compete in PDC events, and the PDC Women's Series that exists today grew out of that path. Sherrock went on to win the 2022 Women's World Matchplay and 21 PDC Women's Series titles, second only to Beau Greaves. In 2023 she hit the first televised nine-dart finish by a woman at a professional event, and was awarded an MBE the same year.
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