Beau Greaves: Luke Littler’s win boosted confidence, says the rising darts star

Beau Greaves says her historic win over world champion Luke Littler has given her new faith as she prepares for several major tournaments.

The 21-year-old from Doncaster made headlines by defeating Littler last month to become the first player to reach a world youth final.

“When I beat Luke, it gave me a huge confidence boost. I think I’ve lacked confidence over the years, and I’ve got a little bit of it now,” Greaves said.

Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld expects her good run at the PDC World Championship, which starts next month, to secure her place in the eight-man Premier League.

“I can’t imagine I’ll win the Premier League unless I do a crazy run, but I mean I wouldn’t say no,” she said.

“Maybe it’s a bit too much for me, but you know it’ll make it a little exciting, right?”

The Premier League begins in February and is played over 17 consecutive Thursday nights.

“Hopefully, if she does well in the World Championship, I can guarantee you that she will get a ticket to the Premier League,” Dutchman Van Barneveld said., external

The top four in the world rankings automatically qualify and four others are chosen as “wildcard” entries.

She said: “People talk about the Premier League being a bit dull and boring but I always end up watching it every week. It would be great to play in it but I don’t think I deserve it considering all the other players I could join.”

“It’s nice when people say good things about me. I appreciate all the comments, I think that’s great.”