Beau Greaves
Credit DARTS NOW via Wikipedia

Few athletes have done more to change perceptions in their sport at such a young age than Beau Greaves. The Doncaster thrower, nicknamed “Beau ‘n’ Arrow”, has already become one of the most decorated players in women’s darts, breaking barriers and rewriting the record books along the way.

From becoming the youngest woman to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship to making history as the first woman to win a PDC ranking title, Greaves has repeatedly achieved what no female player had managed before. In doing so, she has helped transform expectations of what women can accomplish in professional darts and really built on the platform set by another female darts pioneer, Fallon Sherrock.

A Remarkable Rise


Born in Doncaster in 2004, Greaves picked up a set of darts at the age of 10 while playing in her older brother Taylor’s bedroom. It quickly became obvious that she possessed a rare natural talent, boasting an unusually straight throw for a beginner. Within a year, she was a regular at Monday league darts hosted by the local Plough pub. Fast forward just another year and she was representing England at youth level, which saw her take part in tournaments across the continent.

Her progress was not without setbacks. During her teenage years, Greaves suffered from “dartitis”, a psychological condition that affects a player’s ability to release the dart. Often it is caused by overthinking the movement, due to anxiety, and not allowing the body’s natural autopilot to take over. Many promising careers have been derailed by the condition, but with support from family and friends, she overcame the problem and returned stronger than ever.

Dominating the Women’s Game


Greaves’ first major breakthrough came on the WDF circuit, where she rapidly established herself as the leading player in the women’s game. In 2022, aged just 18, she won the WDF Women’s World Championship at the Lakeside Country Club in Surrey, becoming one of the youngest women’s world champions in history. The final match was pure domination, with Greaves dropping just a single leg across four sets and setting a record-breaking 92.02 average.

Rather than being a one-off success, it marked the start of a period of almost total dominance. She successfully defended the title in both 2023 and 2024, while also collecting dozens of titles on the PDC Women’s Series. Her consistency became almost unrivalled, with tournament victories becoming the norm rather than the exception.

By the middle of the decade, Greaves had amassed more than 50 Women’s Series titles, underlining the gap she had opened between herself and the rest of the field.

Breaking into the Men’s Game


Although Greaves has won countless titles in the women’s game, it is her willingness to test herself against male professionals that has made her a true pioneer.

In 2022, she became the youngest woman ever to qualify for the PDC World Darts Championship. She secured her place at Alexandra Palace after an astonishing run that saw her win the final eight Women’s Series events of the season, ending with a remarkable 66-match winning streak. Along the way, she defeated Sherrock with an average of almost 108, one of the finest performances ever produced by a female player.

Her highly anticipated World Championship debut ended in a first-round 3-0 defeat to William O’Connor, but Beau ‘n’ Arrow did not disgrace herself by any means. She averaged a very respectable 88.34 and only lost the opening two sets by a single leg. Three years later, she returned to the event and was arguably unlucky to taste defeat.

Facing former World Grand Prix winner Daryl Gurney, she lost 3-2 on sets in the first round. Despite this, Greaves actually won more legs than the Northern Irishman and posted the higher three-dart average (91.55 to 89.77), underlining just how competitive she already is against established PDC professionals.

Not disheartened by the defeat, Greaves continued rewriting the record books in 2026. She became the first woman ever to win a PDC ranking title by defeating former world champion Michael Smith in the Players Championship 11 final. Earlier that season, she had also become the first woman to hit a nine-darter on the PDC Pro Tour, another landmark achievement that highlighted just how high the standard of the women’s game had become.

Later that year, she made history once again by becoming the first woman to qualify for a PDC European Tour event, booking her place at the Hungarian Darts Trophy. Just days afterwards, she repeated the feat by qualifying for the Czech Darts Open, becoming the first woman to reach two European Tour events.

Perhaps her biggest win, certainly in terms of the opponent, came in the World Youth Darts Championship. In the 2025 semi final she averaged 105 and beat none other than world champion Luke Littler. That win also made her the first woman to reach the final of the youth tournament, which is open to players aged between 16 and 24.

Building on Earlier Pioneers

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by BBC SPORT (@bbcsport)


Women’s darts has enjoyed several landmark moments over the past two decades. Anastasia Dobromyslova became the first woman to beat a male professional on television in 2009, Lisa Ashton was the first woman to earn a PDC Tour Card in 2020, and Sherrock famously became the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship later that same year.

The difference with Greaves is that she appears to be the first female player for whom a long-term career on the main PDC circuit feels like a realistic possibility. Aged just 22 at the time of writing and ranked 78th in the world, it would be a surprise if she does not continue to improve. Many have tipped her to make it into the top 24 in the near future, which would see her qualify for the World Masters.

An Inspiration for the Next Generation

Beau Greaves interview
Credit Oche180 via Wikipedia

Perhaps Greaves’ greatest contribution cannot be measured by titles or prize money. Young girls entering darts today have a role model who has consistently demonstrated that the biggest stages are no longer out of reach.

Her success has coincided with increased investment in the women’s game, rising prize funds and greater opportunities to compete in open PDC events. While many people have contributed to that progress, Greaves has become the face of a new generation that expects to compete alongside the best players in the world rather than separately from them.

Away from the oche, she remains known for her modest personality and grounded attitude. Despite the growing attention surrounding her career, Greaves has consistently played down the pressure, insisting that enjoying the game remains her priority. That calm approach has earned widespread admiration from fellow professionals and supporters alike.