IT’S OFF – there will be no mouth-watering Fallon Sherrock versus Luke Littler heavyweight clash on Saturday night.
A dream darting date between two tungsten trailblazers will not go ahead after Ipswich barber Ryan Meikle proved to be the cut above in a close shave on the Ally Pally stage.
When the World Darts Championship draw was made last month, the prospect of Littler and Sherrock meeting in round two was the highlight and most talked about possibility.
But Sherrock – aka the Queen of the Palace – was unable to prevail in this Crimpers Derby, going down 3-2 in the closest game of the tournament so far.
Sherrock said: “It was a struggle but I gave it absolutely everything, I couldn’t have done any more.
“I kept digging in to stay in the game and I never gave up.
“I’m happy to win two sets but obviously gutted to lose.
“It hurts at the moment but there are positives I can take from this going forward.
“I always love playing at Ally Pally and the crowd gave me great support tonight.”
Had Sherrock progressed, it could have been one of the most watched darts encounters in Sky Sports history, between two people who have transcended the sport for different reasons.
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Certainly those behind the scenes, particularly the Sky marketing team, will be disappointed that Sherrock could not progress.
But this was the fourth year in a row that she had departed from the first round and you wonder if her time at the top has come and gone.
In fact, ever since December 2019, when she eliminated Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic – the first and only time a woman has beaten men at world level – she has not won on the most prestigious oche on the planet.
Meikle will breathe a sigh of relief but given how nervous he was in the opening legs, you would not want him holding scissors – he might cut your ear off!
Inevitably, he was booed during his walk-on and greeted by choruses of “There’s only one Fallon Sherrock”.
The first set was awful to watch in terms of quality averages – Meikle struggled with a 70.39 average while Sherrock could only muster 79.11.
However, Sherrock – a former hairdresser – was the more razor-sharp thrower and took out a 78 finish to seal the set by three straight legs.
Boyfriend Cameron Menzies was in the building but was watching from backstage of the North London Palace rather than in the front-row VIP seats.
It was 24 hours earlier that he lost 3-1 to Leonard Gates and departed the stage with tears streaming down his face, as he cried for his sick dad in hospital.
Whatever Meikle did backstage during the first TV ad break, it worked because he settled down and then drew level, nailing it with a 111 finish.
A break of throw in the third set – a 119 checkout sealed on double 13 – was a devastating blow on Sherrock by Meikle, who moved 2-1 up.
Suffolk star Meikle may have hit 122 in leg four of the fourth set but he was suffering an extraordinary amount of bounceouts.
And Sherrock, 30, took advantage of his darts hitting the floor to level up at 2-2.
In a nervy final set, Sherrock had the chance to level up in the final set but she missed the bullseye on 170.
Meikle, 28, took advantage on his second match dart and will now face the full gale of the media spotlight when he faces the tournament favourite on the weekend.
