Fallon Sherrock’s aspirations for a PDC Tour Card faced a hurdle following her defeat in the opening match of the Qualifying School First Stage. Sherrock, competing at the UK Qualifying School in Milton Keynes’ Marshall Arena, lost a tight match 5-4 in the last-256 stage against Shaun Carroll. Despite the setback, she has additional opportunities over the coming days to secure her spot in the Final Stage.
The PDC Qualifying Schools are open to darts players aged 16 and over, providing a pathway to a two-year PDC Tour Card. The event spans seven days and occurs simultaneously in the UK and Germany, culminating in a Final Stage where a total of 128 players from each venue compete.
In her match, Sherrock recorded an average of 83.37 before being eliminated in the deciding leg. She was joined by Noa-Lynn van Leuven, the first trans player to compete in the World Darts Championship, who also experienced an early exit on the opening day.
Van Leuven won her first match against Jordy Jozee but later fell 5-3 to Riccardo Rech in the European Qualifying School’s last-256 stage at Wunderland in Kalkar. Other notable early exits included former world champion John Part and ex-runners-up Mark Dudbridge and Andy Hamilton, all of whom lost in their first matches.
As the Qualifying School continues, a total of 474 players are competing in the European Qualifying School, while 354 players are in the UK event. Players who lost their Tour Card at the end of 2024 are exempt from the First Stage and progress directly to the Final Stage.
Looking ahead, the Final Stage will see participation from players ranked in the top 16 of the 2024 Winmau Challenge Tour and Development Tour Orders of Merit, provided they do not already hold Tour Cards for 2025. A total of 29 PDC Tour Cards will be available in the Final Stage, with winners from the daily events receiving automatic cards and the remaining allocated based on the Orders of Merit.
As the excitement builds, fans will be eager to witness who will emerge victorious in this prestigious darts competition.
