Beau Greaves nails incredible Big Fish but suffers heartbreak as huge names miss out on World Masters darts

Beau Greaves Nails Incredible Big Fish but Suffers Heartbreak as Huge Names Miss Out on World Masters Darts

Women’s world number one Beau Greaves produced a moment of brilliance with a spectacular 170 checkout during Wednesday’s Winmau World Masters qualifying rounds – but her campaign ended in heartbreak as she fell short of reaching the televised stages alongside a host of former champions.

The 21-year-old’s magical “Big Fish” finish couldn’t prevent elimination at Arena MK in Milton Keynes, where only eight players from a grueling field of 120 could advance to the £500,000 main event starting Thursday.

Greaves’ Gutsy Campaign Falls Short

Greaves, who holds a PDC Tour Card for the next two years, started her qualification campaign impressively with victories over darts veterans Mervyn King and Dirk van Duijvenbode – demonstrating the form that has made her one of the sport’s most talked-about talents.

The Doncaster star’s 170 checkout showcased her ability to deliver under pressure, hitting the maximum finish that requires treble-20, treble-20, and bull’s-eye – a feat that even the game’s elite struggle to execute consistently.

However, her dream of making the main draw ended in the Last 16 when she fell to Scotland’s Alan Soutar. Despite the disappointment, Greaves’ performance further cemented her reputation as a player capable of competing with the world’s best, following her recent World Youth Championship run that included a stunning victory over world champion Luke Littler.

Legendary Names Crash Out

Greaves was far from alone in suffering early elimination, as some of darts’ biggest names endured shocking first-round exits in one of the most brutally competitive qualification processes in the PDC calendar.

Former world champions Peter Wright and Michael Smith both departed at the earliest stage, their campaigns over before they truly began. Wright, the 2020 Masters champion and two-time world champion, couldn’t navigate the opening round hurdle.

Smith, who lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy just three years ago at the 2023 World Championship, similarly fell at the first obstacle in what represented another disappointing chapter in a difficult season for the St Helens thrower.

Belgian star Dimitri Van den Bergh, who reached the semi-finals of last year’s World Masters, suffered a particularly painful exit at the hands of his former World Cup partner Kim Huybrechts.

Cullen’s Nightmare Continues

Joe Cullen’s struggles continued as the 2022 Masters champion suffered a devastating defeat to James Hurrell in the penultimate round of qualification.

Hurrell, fresh from an impressive World Championship debut at Alexandra Palace, produced the performance of the day with an imperious 111.33 average in a straight-sets demolition of Cullen.

The result continues Cullen’s downward spiral since his explosive World Championship exit to Mensur Suljovic, where he accused his opponent of gamesmanship and famously declared “if that’s darts, I don’t want no part of it!”

Cullen had vowed to take a four-week break from darts following that controversy, but his return to action in Milton Keynes lasted just three matches.

Menzies Misery

Cameron Menzies, still dealing with the fallout from his violent outburst at the World Championship, also failed to qualify after losing to Ireland’s Shane McGuirk.

The Scotsman required hospital treatment after punching a drinks table three times following his Ally Pally first-round defeat, cutting his hand open in the process. His World Masters elimination adds another setback to what has been a tumultuous start to 2026.

The Magnificent Eight

While household names tumbled out, eight players successfully navigated the treacherous qualification maze to book their spots in the main draw.

Dutch trio Wessel Nijman, Niels Zonneveld and Jimmy van Schie led the successful qualifiers. Nijman, the highest-ranked player to progress, avenged his World Championship defeat to Gabriel Clemens with a near-106 average in their Last 16 clash.

Van Schie, the reigning WDF champion who only recently earned his Tour Card at Qualifying School, claimed impressive scalps including former European champion Ritchie Edhouse and World Championship semi-finalist Scott Williams in his first PDC ranking event.

James Hurrell continued his excellent form from Alexandra Palace, while Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf stormed through with three straight-sets victories. Madars Razma completed a notable run by defeating Krzysztof Ratajski, and Connor Scutt and Shane McGuirk rounded out the qualifiers.

Nine-Darter Drama

The qualification rounds also witnessed a nine-darter from Jamai van den Herik during the round-robin phase, though his moment of perfection came in a losing cause against Germany’s Dominik Gruellich.

The Road Ahead

The eight qualifiers now join the world’s top 24 players in the 32-player main event, which begins Thursday evening at Arena MK.

Nijman faces an immediate baptism of fire against 2025 runner-up Jonny Clayton, while Zonneveld takes on two-time world champion Gary Anderson. Van Schie draws 16th seed Ross Smith, and Hurrell gets a blockbuster clash with Premier League star Gerwyn Price.

For Greaves, the focus now shifts to the ProTour season beginning in February, where she’ll look to establish herself among the sport’s elite on a full-time basis.

The tournament continues with the first round matches Thursday and Friday, building toward Sunday’s final where the champion will claim a £100,000 first prize.

As for the fallen giants – Wright, Smith, Van den Bergh, Cullen and Greaves – they’ll have to wait for their next opportunity to add major silverware to their collections, while eight qualifiers who seized their moment will compete for darting glory in Milton Keynes.