Ashton and Sherrock to make history at UK Open

Lisa Ashton

Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock will become the first female competitors in the Ladbrokes UK Open for over a decade in this weekend's tournament at the Butlin's Minehead Resort.
 
The 160-player field for the UK Open will have a fresh look with both Ashton and Sherrock competing in Friday's opening stages in Minehead alongside the sport's top names.
 
After winning a PDC Tour Card at Qualifying School in January, Ashton qualified by right to compete in the UK Open and is aiming to build on a strong start to the year on the PDC ProTour.

"I think I might be a bit nervous playing in a new venue but I am really looking forward to it," said Ashton, who became the first woman to win a PDC Tour Card in January, guaranteeing a UK Open spot.

"When I won my Tour Card I hadn't even thought about being in the UK Open, it took a while to sink in.

"I am enjoying life on the tour, I'm learning all the time because it's completely different to what I'm used to but everyone has been very welcoming.

"My standard is improving all the time and hopefully this weekend I can show that.

"The last time I was on a PDC stage was at the World Championship two years ago and I loved every minute of that, so it will be great to get back up there in front of the amazing atmosphere.

"Women's darts is in a great place right now, there's a lot of interest around us. The support I've had has been really overwhelming."
 
Ashton will play Belgium's Mike De Decker in the opening televised game of the UK Open on the Main Stage on Friday.

Fallon Sherrock
 
Sherrock, meanwhile, won through a field of over 250 players at the Rileys Sports Bar in Wolverhampton just to secure her UK Open debut, after starring with her historic wins at the World Championship and a Premier League draw with Glen Durrant last month.
 
She is now looking to enjoy her first experience of the UK Open in Minehead, where she will start off in Friday afternoon's first round against Kyle McKinstry.
 
"It's really exciting," said Sherrock. "It was a hard day in Wolverhampton just to qualify so now I'm there I want to enjoy it because I've watched it on TV before and it's a great event.
 
"It's going to be another huge experience for me because the UK Open is such a different tournament to the World Championship and the Premier League.
 
"I'm used to events where you play a few games in a day so I'll just focus on each game as it comes and not look too far ahead, and my focus is on preparing to play Kyle.
 
"I know Kyle from the tour and we've been at a lot of events together in the past and he's a good scorer and a very good player."
 
A former Women's World Championship runner-up and BDO World Trophy winner, Sherrock has gained valuable big-stage experience in recent months and added: "I feel like my game's improving all the time.
 
"The experience of playing in the World Championship and Premier League has been great but also playing in Q School and other events.
 
"I've gained lots of experience and hopefully that will benefit me. I've had so much support too - I love it and I can't wait to get back on stage."
 
Ashton and Sherrock are the first female competitors in the UK Open for over a decade, since Anastasia Dobromyslova competed in 2008 and 2009, as they spearhead the growth of the women's game.
 
"Having two women in the UK Open is great and Lisa's doing fantastically well this year. She did brilliantly to get her Tour Card and she's had some great performances since too on the tour.
 
"Women's darts is on such a high at the moment, when you look at players like Mikuru Suzuki and Lisa, as well as other players like Beau Greaves who are coming through.
 
"I'm proud of what I've achieved so far, and I want to keep progressing."

Action from the Main Stage will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and RTL7, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.

Play on Stage Two on Friday and Saturday will be broadcast live on PDCTV for all PDCTV Subscribers worldwide.

2020 Ladbrokes UK Open
Friday March 6
Afternoon Session (1100 GMT Start, 1200 GMT on Main Stage)
First, Second & Third Rounds 
Main Stage

Mike De Decker v Lisa Ashton (R1)
Damon Heta v Scott Waites (R1)
Kyle McKinstry v Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Scott Baker v Mark McGeeney (R2)
Jeff Smith v John Michael (R2)
David Pallett v Doets/Thompson (R2)
Heaver/Noguera v McKinstry/Sherrock (R2)
Luke Humphries v Kyle Anderson (R3)
Kim Huybrechts v Robert Thornton (R3)
Josh Payne v Luke Woodhouse (R3)

Stage Two
Cody Harris v Scott Taylor (R1)
Kai Fan Leung v Kelvin Self (R1)
Adam Hunt v Karel Sedlacek (R1)
Keane Barry v Alan Tabern (R1)
Andy Hamilton v Patrick Lynskey (R1)
Marko Kantele v Dirk van Duijvenbode (R2)
Heta/Waites v Geert Nentjes (R2)
Larsson/Meikle v De Decker/Ashton (R2)
Menzies/Brooks v Nick Kenny (R2)
Ryan Searle v Cristo Reyes (R3)
William O'Connor v Jan Dekker (R3)
Vincent van der Voort v Smith/Michael (R3)
Koltsov/Van Trijp/Davidson/Borland v Larsson/Meikle/De Decker/Ashton (R3)

Stage Three
Steffen Siepmann v Krzysztof Kciuk (R1)
Peter Jacques v Ciaran Teehan (R1)
Michael Barnard v Steve Brown (R1)
Daniel Larsson v Ryan Meikle (R1)
Harry Ward v Gavin Carlin (R2)
Kirk Shepherd v Leung/Self (R2)
Hunt/Sedlacek v Barrie Bates (R2)
Hayden/J Clark v Richardson/Penhall (R2)
Ron Meulenkamp v Richard North (R3)
Jones/Blades/Whitehead v Steve West (R3)
Devon Petersen v Menzies/Brooks/Kenny (R3)
Justin Smith/Jenkins/Beeney/Harms v Atkins/Murray/Bunse (R3)
Huckvale/Burton/Van der Meer v Heaver/Noguera/McKinstry/Sherrock (R3)

Stage Four
Jason Askew v Greg Ritchie (R1)
Jason Heaver v Jesus Noguera (R1)
Adam Smith-Neale v Ben Cheeseman (R1)
Darren Beveridge v Nathan Rafferty (R1)
Andy Boulton v Reece Robinson (R2)
Nathan Derry v Maik Kuivenhoven (R2)
Justin Smith/Jenkins v Beeney/Harms (R2)
Telnekes/Kleermaker v Madars Razma (R2)
Jamie Lewis v Ross Smith (R3)
Evetts/Van Peer/Roelofs v James Wilson (R3)
Steve Lennon v Barnard/Brown/Barry/Tabern (R3)
Mickey Mansell v Zonneveld/Hamilton/Lynskey (R3)

Stage Five
Adam Huckvale v Stephen Burton (R1)
Rhys Hayden v James Clark (R1)
Cameron Menzies v Bradley Brooks (R1)
Kevin Burness v Harald Leitinger (R1)
Jonathan Worsley v Matt Clark (R2)
Carl Wilkinson v Siepmann/Kciuk (R2)
Ted Evetts v Van Peer/Roelofs (R2)
Barnard/Brown v Barry/Tabern (R2)
Justin Pipe v Shepherd/Leung/Self (R3)
Ryan Joyce v Jacques/Teehan/Meeuwisse (R3)
Jose De Sousa v Williams/Owen/Gray (R3)
Van Duivenbode/Beveridge/Rafferty v Jamie Hughes (R3)

Stage Six
Aaron Beeney v Wesley Harms (R1)
Boris Koltsov v Danny van Trijp (R1)
Andrew Davidson v William Borland (R1)
Lewis Williams v Robert Owen (R1)
Harris/Taylor v Jason Lowe (R2)
Atkins/Murray v Christian Bunse (R2)
Mike van Duivenbode v Beveridge/Rafferty (R2)
Niels Zonneveld v Hamilton/Lynskey (R2)
Derry/Kuivenhoven v Gabriel Clemens (R3)
Darius Labanauskas v Kantele/Van Duijvenbode (R3)
Hayden/J Clark/Richardson/Penhall v Toni Alcinas (R3)
Matthew Edgar v Smith-Neale/Cheeseman/McGuirk/Rydz (R3)

Stage Seven
Martin Atkins v Ryan Murray (R1)
Shane McGuirk v Callan Rydz (R1)
Wayne Jones v Gary Blades (R1)
Berry van Peer v Owen Roelofs (R1)
Rowby-John Rodriguez v Askew/Ritchie (R2)
Jacques/Teehan v Yordi Meeuwisse (R2)
Williams/Owen v Adrian Gray (R2)
Burness/Leitinger v Joe Murnan (R2)
Martin Schindler v Benito van de Pas (R3)
Baker/McGeeney v Boulton/Robinson (R3)
Worsley/M Clark v Harris/Taylor/Lowe (R3)
Telnekes/Kleermaker/Razma v Heta/Waites/Nentjes (R3)

Stage Eight
Justin Smith v Andy Jenkins (R1)
Derk Telnekes v Martijn Kleermaker (R1)
James Richardson v Darren Penhall (R1)
Kevin Doets v Alfie Thompson (R1)
Huckvale/Burton v Vincent van der Meer (R2)
Jones/Blades v Conan Whitehead (R2)
Koltsov/Van Trijp v Davidson/Borland (R2)
Smith-Neale/Cheeseman v McGuirk/Rydz (R2)
Jelle Klaasen v Rodriguez/Askew/Ritchie (R3)
Ward/Carlin v Wilkinson/Siepmann/Kciuk (R3)
Pallett/Doets/Thompson v Simon Stevenson (R3)
Hunt/Sedlacek/Bates v Burness/Leitinger/Murnan (R3)

Schedule of Play
Friday March 6
Afternoon Session (1100 GMT start – 1200 GMT start on Main Stage)

First, Second & Third Rounds
Main Stage, Stage Two & Stages Three-Eight

Evening Session (1900 GMT start)
Fourth Round
Main Stage, Stage Two & Stages Three-Eight

Saturday March 7 
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT start)
Fifth Round
Main Stage, Stage Two & Stages Three-Four

Evening Session (1900 GMT start)
Sixth Round
Main Stage & Stage Two

Sunday March 8
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT start)

Quarter-Finals
Main Stage

Evening Session (1900 GMT start)
Semi-Finals & Final
Main Stage