Fallon Sherrock speaks out on ‘backlash’ after ‘Beat Luke Littler’ win as Barry Hearn responds to fan

Matchroom chairman Barry Hearn has defended Fallon Sherrock after a fan questioned the selection of players for Netflix’s Beat Luke Littler, where the Englishwoman stunned the reigning world champion to claim the £501,000 jackpot.

Sherrock produced a memorable performance to defeat Littler in a single-leg showdown, taking out 43 with a treble three and double 20 to secure the biggest prize of her career.

The victory was particularly significant for ‘The Queen of the Palace’, who revealed afterwards that she would likely use some of the money to buy a new home for herself and her young son, Rory.

“As long as Rory is alright, that is my main focus for the future,” she explained.

Barry Hearn defends Fallon Sherrock after Beat Luke Littler controversy

The final group of 24 contestants selected for the Netflix programme featured a mixture of amateur players, promising young talents and familiar faces from the darts circuit.

Most of the contestants were selected through groups of four, with players drawn out individually during the show.

Among the better-known names were Sherrock, 14-year-old Jayden Walker, PDC Challenge Tour player Ashley Coleman and 15-year-old WDF World Championship finalist Mitchell Lawrie.

Before the programme premiered, Netflix had also addressed criticism surrounding its selection process. The streaming platform confirmed that everyone went through the same audition procedure, which involved heats in London and Manchester followed by interviews.

Netflix’s main eligibility requirement was that contestants must never have held a PDC Tour Card.

Although Sherrock has competed at major tournaments, including the World Championship, UK Open and Grand Slam, she has never earned a full-time PDC Tour Card through the ranking system or Q-School.

Her inclusion nevertheless attracted criticism from some darts fans, with one social media user suggesting that Netflix had brought in professional players to compete against Littler.

However, former PDC chairman Barry Hearn was quick to dismiss the suggestion.

Responding to the criticism on X, Hearn defended Sherrock’s eligibility and praised her achievement.

“Fallon is not a PDC professional,” he wrote. “Worthy winner of a life-changing amount of money.”

Fallon Sherrock opens up about her £501,000 victory

Sherrock’s success in Manchester could prove financially transformative, with the £501,000 jackpot more than doubling the approximately £250,000 she had accumulated in career prize money before the event.

Speaking to The Sun, the 32-year-old explained that she had been encouraging other contestants backstage, particularly some of her friends, to secure the opportunity to face Littler.

“If you’d seen any videos or anything from the back room, I was shouting for people [to win],” she said.

“It’s because this money is life-changing. It’s definitely going to change my life. I feel like people think I have more money than I have, and I really haven’t.”

Sherrock also revealed that she had been supporting some of her closest friends who were involved in the competition.

“I was just egging everyone on, especially some of my best friends, Lauren [Bloomfield] and Katie [Sheldon, who both play on the PDC Women’s Series].”

Meanwhile, Sherrock admitted that the criticism surrounding her selection for the programme had been difficult to deal with.

Speaking to Sky Sports, she acknowledged that she had noticed the negative reaction but insisted that she had met all the requirements to participate.

“It’s been tough,” she said.

“Obviously I do see the backlash, and I do see all the negative comments. But at the end of the day, I fit the criteria for this. I’ve never had a Tour Card, and I wouldn’t class myself as a pro really, because all I do is just play darts for the enjoyment of it.

“I think people forget where I started off as well. When I won at the Worlds [in 2019], I was still just doing WDF.”

Sherrock’s victory has added another remarkable chapter to her darts career. Having made history at the 2019 PDC World Championship, she has now beaten the reigning world champion on a major streaming platform and secured a £501,000 prize that could change her family’s future.