As well as the prestigious men’s tournament one of the best things about the Lakeside in recent years has been the growth and expansion of the ladies tournament and the huge lift in quality the competition has had as a result.
The tournament is now broadcast live throughout the week with every match televised and contains 16 players unlike when it began when only the final was shown live and just eight players started out.
Some of the best matches on the Lakeside stage in the last year or two have been in the ladies competition and a quick look at the draw this year highlights the potential for much the same this year too.
Lisa Ashton is looking to win the title for a third successive time. The ‘Lancashire Rose’ has dominated the female game for the last two years and although she doesn’t play all the tournaments her record in the ones she does play is phenomenal so Ashton sets off on the defence of her title as a very worthy favourite.
Just like with Durrant in the men’s event there are a few obstacles in the way if Ashton is to justify her number one seeding as stars young and old will present a significant challenge.
In Ashton’s half of the draw the champion could run into the Golden Girl in just the quarter final this year and while Trina Gulliver has struggled to produce her best form at Frimley Green in the last few years writing such a talent off completely could be a mistake.
Were Ashton to survive that test a potentially stronger one would await in the semi-final as she looks odds on to face either the former champion Anastasia Dobromyslova or the hugely impressive Aileen de Graaf.
Anastasia remains one of the stars of the game. In the last month she has won the Sunparks Masters and lost in the final of the Zuiderduin Masters. The Russian has another title to her name in the English Matchplay and lost in no fewer than five finals in 2015 including the BDO World Trophy so make no mistake Anastasia is a real threat.
Aileen de Graaf has been a feature at the Lakeside for a couple of years but amazingly she has never been beyond the quarter final here. To be fair drawing Lisa Ashton in the first round in 2014 and Fallon Sherrock in the quarter final last year is tough and the draw is no kinder this year either.
The Dutch star has the dangerous youngster Casey Gallagher in the opening round and then could come Anastasia in the quarters and Ashton in the semis if she gets that far. It is fair to say if she wins this title it will have definitely been done the hard way and given her route her price looks a little skinny.
It is fair to say that top half of the draw is a tournament in itself so maybe the best thing to do is look deeper at the bottom half for an outright punt safe in the knowledge whoever comes through there is likely to be a good deal fresher than their opponent in the title match.
Deta Hedman has never won this title but she has won everything else there is to win in the game. You would think with the young talent coming through the ranks that Deta’s opportunities to win this tournament are becoming limited but we should remember she is a winner of no less than 13 titles in 2015 so she remains a force in the game right now.
Without meaning any disrespect to Corinne Hammond, Lorraine Winstanley or Rachel Brooks it would be a huge surprise if the ‘Dark Destroyer’ isn’t in another world semi-final as the weekend approaches.
There is one major contender left for this title and it is the lady I think will be lifting the trophy at the end of the week. It is the wonderful young star Fallon Sherrock who really has the world of ladies darts at her feet.
Sherrock was defeated in a thrilling final in this tournament 12 months ago but has a quite outstanding record in 2015. In 27 tournaments she only failed to make the semi-final four times which is a remarkable statistic. She has won eight titles including the Finder Masters last month and arrives here in good form.
Since losing the world final last year Sherrock has been snapped up by a top management company which means she plays top names in exhibitions and has even mixed it with the men in the PDC Development Tour and is becoming a huge player in the game. At 11/4 I fancy her to go one better than 12 months ago.
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