Ashton beats Sherrock to win Women's World Matchplay

Lisa Ashton has won four world titles, her most recent victory coming in 2018

Lisa Ashton has won the Women's World Matchplay in remarkable fashion after Fallon Sherrock missed 11 darts for the title in a pulsating final.

Four-time world champion Ashton, 54, came through a final-leg decider to win 6-5 at Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

But 'The Lancashire Rose' must have thought her chance had gone when Sherrock, leading 5-4, left herself 40 with Ashton not even on a finish.

However, Sherrock missed eight darts at double before Ashton found double 10 to force a one-leg shootout.

A stunning last leg saw Ashton hit a 180 to briefly take charge before Sherrock responded with a brilliant 165 to leave 36.

Once again the 31-year-old, who made history as the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship in December 2019, could not finish it off.

Another three match darts went begging and Ashton made her pay by hitting double top to clinch the title - and with it the £10,000 prize money, as well as places in both the Grand Slam of Darts and PDC World Championship.

"I'm so, so happy. I finally got there," Ashton told Sky Sports.

"My heart was going ten to the dozen but I just zoned out because I thought I had to take my chances because Fallon was missing - and I did."

Ashton also beat fellow Englishwoman Sherrock in the 2015 BDO world final at Lakeside.

"We push each other and it's good for women's darts," Ashton added.

After seeing off Ireland's Robyn Byrne in the quarter-finals, Ashton had shocked top seed and defending champion Beau Greaves 5-3 in the semi-finals.

The fourth leg proved crucial with Greaves getting down to 36 in nine darts, only to miss eight darts at double before Ashton came from nowhere to take out 140 for a 3-1 lead.

Finishing proved to be the difference with Ashton at 50% on the outer ring, while Greaves - who had been bidding for a third straight Matchplay title - made just three out of 19 attempts.

Meanwhile, Sherrock had survived match darts in both her quarter and semi-finals before her luck ran out in the final.

She edged past Gemma Hayter 4-3 in the last eight before seeing off second seed Noa-Lynn van Leuven 5-4 following a wild final leg.

Sherrock missed five match darts, Van Leuven missed four and both players ended up on double one, with the former eventually finding it to advance to the final.

Three dramatic wins in a row proved just beyond the 'Queen of the Palace', though, as Ashton pipped her to the trophy.

Women's World Matchplay results

Quarter-finals

Beau Greaves 4-1 Kirsi Viinikainen

Lisa Ashton 4-2 Robyn Byrne

Noa-Lynn van Leuven 4-0 Lorraine Winstanley

Fallon Sherrock 4-3 Gemma Hayter

Semi-finals

Beau Greaves 3-5 Lisa Ashton

Noa-Lynn van Leuven 4-5 Fallon Sherrock

Final

Lisa Ashton 6-5 Fallon Sherrock