When Beau Greaves chats about darts, she does so with the kind of understatement that makes you smile.
Ask her how she stacks up in the grand scheme of the sport and she’ll shrug and say she’s “decent for a girl.”
It’s modest to the point of absurdity, especially if you ask Luke Littler, who’s had quite the taste of her ability.
When a World Champion Turned Up for “A Bit of Fun”
Their most talked-about clash happened on October 13 at the World Youth Championships in Wigan.
Most people were stunned Littler even entered the event.
At just 18, and fresh off winning the World Grand Prix the night before by dismantling Luke Humphries, he was firmly established among the adult elite.
But Littler fancied a casual knock-around, so off he went to Wigan, where Greaves waited—and where the surprises kept coming.
Littler Looked Unstoppable, Until He Wasn’t
Before facing Greaves, Littler had already put in a monstrous average of 103 or 104 against Charlie Manby.
As Greaves remembers it, people were saying Manby “should have beaten him,” but the numbers showed Littler was simply on another level.
And against her, he kept that level high. A 107 average over 11 legs isn’t something most players ever see, let alone withstand. But Greaves didn’t blink.
She matched him dart for dart and nicked a 6–5 win over the reigning world champion.
A few weeks later, in a Derby exhibition, she did it again—this time 6–2. So much for “decent for a girl.”
A Dominant Force Who Barely Seems Aware of It
Greaves, the pride of Doncaster, already owns a résumé that might make her the greatest female player the sport has ever seen.
While she didn’t lift the youth title, she has put together 86 straight wins on the women’s circuit, plus the last three women’s world titles.
Her dominance earned her a PDC tour card, meaning regular battles against the best men in the world are now part of her schedule. Few are surprised.
A Childhood Built on Arrows, Pubs and Quiet Determination
Greaves picked up darts at 10, represented England by 12, and threw a nine-darter at 15.
When the World Championships return to Alexandra Palace, she’ll be far from the unknown teenager who stumbled out in round one back in 2022.
Now, people stop her in restaurants. In one instance, a man pretended to take a selfie but angled his phone so she appeared in the background. Greaves found it hilarious.
“I still feel completely normal,” she says.
“I don’t feel different just because I beat Luke.”
Fame Isn’t Her Natural Environment
For someone who now attracts crowds, Greaves admits she’s shy by nature. Painfully so, once upon a time.
As a child, she barely spoke at school—her teacher once asked her mother if she might be mute.
She didn’t find her voice until her mid-teens.
Darts, predictably, helped her come out of her shell.
It was the one place where she felt entirely at ease.
Challenges? A Few. Excuses? None.
Her journey hasn’t been completely smooth.
She had blurred vision as a teen until glasses solved the problem, and she battled a spell of darting yips before Covid.
Sexism? Surprisingly minimal. Some comments from women here and there, but nothing that stuck.
Men she beat? They stayed polite—perhaps helped by the imposing presence of her dad and brother nearby.
Practice? If You Insist
Greaves talks about training the way others talk about chores.
She finds extended practice dull and does about half an hour a day—almost exactly the same routine Littler described for himself back in 2024.
“I’ve never done more, honestly,” she laughs.
Her days are simple: walk the dog, play some golf, go to bed early, maybe shoot a bit of pool.
No drama. No celebrity lifestyle. And she loves it.
Another Hidden Talent: Golf
She only picked up golf a year ago and already plays off 14, which is outrageously quick progress. She brushes it off with a simple, “Yeah, I can hit a ball.”
Littler, famously understated himself, would approve.
The pair first faced each other when he was 13 and she was 16.
He won every match back then. She smiles thinking about it: “He’s just a regular lad. Really nice guy.”
Eyes on Ally Pally
This winter, Littler returns to Alexandra Palace as the defending champion and favourite for the £1 million prize.
Greaves, meanwhile, opens against Daryl Gurney on December 19, aiming to follow Fallon Sherrock’s historic run in 2019 by winning a match in the main draw.
As for the idea of a woman winning the whole thing? Once upon a time, Greaves called it “silly.”
After beating Littler and pushing Michael van Gerwen to a decider, she’s softened her position.
“I don’t think it’s impossible,” she says. “It’s just extremely hard.
I know I can beat anyone. It’s about doing it in the moment, under those lights.”
For now, “decent” barely covers it.
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