‘Just get on with it’ – Phil Taylor fears scrappy Daryl Gurney could lose to Beau Greaves because of Ally Pally CROWD
PHIL TAYLOR has warned Daryl Gurney not to engage with the crowd when he faces Beau Greaves tomorrow — and forget he is facing a woman.
Gurney, 39, has the unenviable task of trying to stop Greaves, the best female thrower of her generation, in round one in a Friday-night blockbuster.
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Phil Taylor has warned Daryl Gurney not to engage the hostile Ally Pally crowdCredit: The Sun
The Northern Irish thrower will face crowd-favourite Beau Greaves on FridayCredit: Getty
One half of Northern Ireland’s World Cup squad will have the fans against him because they will be willing on the Doncaster lass to finally get that win on the Ally Pally stage.
Taylor, the 16-time world darts champ, told SunSport that it is better not to start any fights with the fancy-dress lot as it could have an impact on his own performance.
The Power, 65, said: “Daryl Gurney doesn’t like the crowd against him. He argues with them.
“He gives it to them back. It’s the Irish in him. You know, he’s a scrapper, is Daryl, and he will scrap away.
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“The crowd will start getting on his back — because Beau’s going to play well, there’s no two ways about it.
“If I was Daryl, I’d just ignore that she’s a female player, and just get on with it. Just treat it as if you were playing me, Eric Bristow, Raymond van Barneveld, whoever.
“Just play the player in front of you and forget about who she is.”
Two of the five women in the World Championship draw are already out — but Taylor reckons Greaves and history-maker Fallon Sherrock could progress into round two.
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Greaves, 21, has exploded in popularity in the past year after some high-profile winsCredit: Getty
The sport’s greatest-ever star said: “You could see two or three women going through.
“It would be amazing. I wouldn’t bet against it.
“Beau’s throw, stance and follow through are good. She’s got a lot of bottle.
“Sometimes Beau can do an 11-darter, go off a little bit for a couple of legs, then come back on form.
“Beau’s getting more experience. So it’s going to be a very interesting game.”
Meanwhile, Sherrock says her career is slowly getting back on track after she considered a break for health reasons.
For the sixth time in seven years, the Queen of the Palace will make an appearance at Ally Pally.
In the summer, she revealed there were times she struggled to maintain high energy levels following an unspecified illness.
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Fallon Sherrock is looking to reclaim her past Ally Pally formCredit: Getty
And it was suggested she may have to scale back her appearances in 2026.
The 31-year-old became ill after the birth of son Rory in 2014 and has suffered from kidney problems in the past.
But at the end of a year in which she split from boyfriend Cameron Menzies, the former hairdresser says life is good ahead of a return to the scene of her greatest exploits.
Sherrock said: “Life isn’t too bad. I have had some positive news recently.
“My darts are slowly getting back to normal.”
With all the focus on Greaves’ clash with Gurney, nobody is really talking about Sherrock at the moment.
She is pitted against Dave Chisnall on Thursday, six years after she historically beat two men at world level.
But Sherrock is happy for Greaves to get all the press, saying: “I’ve always said I’d rather be under the radar.
“I’m like, ‘yeah, OK, all eyes on her’. I’m just gonna go enjoy myself.”
