Fallon Sherrock bowed out of the Grand Slam of Darts in a 16-13 defeat to Peter Wright, having forced the former world champion to pull out all the stops.
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Sherrock has made headlines throughout the tournament, first coming within a leg of beating Wright in the group stage, then hitting a 170 finish to qualify for the last 16, before thrashing Mensur Suljovic 10-5.
Her run came to an end on Saturday but the 27-year-old will have gained more admirers with a high-class display which saw her keep tabs on Wright before he produced his best darts of the week to move into a clear lead.
Sherrock continued to make life difficult for the 2020 world champion, getting back within a leg at 14-13 and playing her part in a match which produced higher standards than Michael Smith's earlier defeat of Michael van Gerwen.
"I'm so proud of myself, especially averaging nearly a hundred," said Sherrock, who had never played a match of more than 23 legs before, that in set format rather than legs. "I tried my best and obviously Peter's amazing.
"This week has been absolutely incredible. I wanted to make the Grand Slam, I made the Grand Slam, and I made a massive dent in it. I'm so proud of myself."
Premier performance earns Wright support
Despite defeat, calls for Sherrock to be given a Premier League place or even a PDC Tour Card will surely grow louder, though there has been opposition to that from the likes of current world champion Gerwyn Price.
"Some of things that Wayne (Mardle) says - 'give her a Tour Card, put her in the Premier League' is he nuts or what?" said Price, after Sky Sports commentator Mardle had made the case for the PDC to reward one of its prized assets.
Wright was asked for his view, and said: "The Premier League is the biggest darts show in the world. This lady deserves a place in the Premier League. I had to play at my best there."
Mardle, reflecting on the match, said: "Hands up, I didn't thin Fallon Sherrock could play like that over that distance - I'm kind of still amazed she kept it going.
"Leg in, leg out, you're witnessing growing before your very eyes. Male or female, it's irrelevant. She can play world-class darts against the world number two."
Whatever the future holds, in the here and now Sherrock has once again been the star and but for meeting a class act close to the top of his game, might have created yet more history.
Wright was under immense pressure and found an impressive response, finally sealing victory with a ruthless 115 finish despite throwing to a constant chorus of 'one Fallon Sherrock'.
Wright advances to the semi-finals where he will face Smith, who made a blistering start to lead 5-0 against van Gerwen and was able to fend off a fightback to win 16-13. That defeat for MVG doesn't merit more detail says everything about the spell Sherrock has cast over the sport.
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