Fallon Sherrock is clearly enjoying life after handing Luke Littler one of the most surprising defeats of his career, and her latest joke about the teenage darts sensation has added another entertaining twist to an already extraordinary weekend.
The 32-year-old became £501,000 richer after defeating Littler in Netflix’s Beat Luke Littler challenge on Friday night, October 30. However, rather than simply celebrating her incredible payday, Sherrock decided to have a little fun at the expense of the world number one.
Taking to social media, Sherrock shared a photograph of herself alongside Littler with a cheeky caption: “His card just got declined. I better pay.”
It was an amusing reference that quickly caught the attention of darts supporters, particularly after the Queen of the Palace had just walked away with a jackpot that most professional players could only dream of winning.
Of course, there is no indication that Littler actually experienced a card payment problem. Sherrock was clearly joking, but the timing made the post even funnier.
After all, she had just beaten one of the most dominant players in modern darts and collected an enormous cheque for doing it.
And if anyone deserved a moment to enjoy themselves, it was Sherrock.
Sherrock Has Every Reason to Celebrate
Winning £501,000 is not an ordinary achievement, particularly in a sport where even established professionals have to work incredibly hard to secure life-changing prize money.
For Sherrock, however, the victory means considerably more than simply having a bigger bank balance.
She admitted after the competition that the money could genuinely change her life, explaining that people sometimes assume she has more money than she actually does.
When asked what she intended to do with the jackpot, her immediate response was particularly revealing.
She said she wanted to spoil her son, Rory, and potentially buy a house.
That is perhaps the most important part of this entire story.
While some people are busy debating whether Sherrock deserved to be included in the competition, the woman herself is thinking about securing a better future for her family.
And frankly, it is difficult to begrudge her that opportunity.
She also joked about how much of the prize she would actually keep after taxation, reminding everyone that winning £501,000 does not necessarily mean taking home the entire amount.
Luke Littler Finally Meets Someone Who Could Punish Him
For Littler, the Netflix event was supposed to be another opportunity to demonstrate just how far ahead he is of ordinary darts players.
The format was straightforward: 20 challengers would each get an opportunity to beat the two-time world champion over a single leg of 501.
Anyone who managed to defeat him would walk away with £501,000.
Littler comfortably dealt with challenger after challenger, showing why he has become one of the biggest attractions in professional darts.
However, the format always carried an obvious danger.
It did not matter how many titles Littler had won, how many television tournaments he had dominated or how impressive his scoring power was.
One bad leg could cost him everything.
That is exactly what happened when Sherrock stepped up.
She won the bull-off, produced a maximum 180 and eventually finished on double 20 after putting Littler under enormous pressure.
The world number one was unable to respond.
It was a reminder that even the greatest players are vulnerable when the format gives their opponent one opportunity to produce something special.
Littler deserves credit for taking part in the event and accepting the result graciously. His reaction afterwards suggested he understood exactly what had happened.
He even described Sherrock’s performance as world class and suggested he would be interested in doing the show again.
The Controversy Surrounding Sherrock’s £501k Victory
Interestingly, Sherrock’s victory has not been universally celebrated.
Some darts supporters questioned why she was allowed to participate in a competition advertised around giving ordinary players an opportunity to beat Littler.
Their argument is understandable to an extent.
Sherrock is not an unknown recreational player who occasionally throws darts at her local pub.
She has competed at the highest levels of the sport, won matches at the PDC World Darts Championship and established herself as one of the most recognisable female players in darts.
She also won the inaugural Women’s World Matchplay in 2022.
Putting someone with that experience alongside ordinary pub players was always going to create debate.
However, there is one important detail that critics cannot ignore.
Sherrock has never held a PDC Tour Card, meaning she met the eligibility criteria established for the competition.
PDC president Barry Hearn also defended her inclusion, arguing that the event needed players capable of providing genuine competition rather than simply filling the programme with people who could barely throw a dart.
And he has a point.
If Netflix wanted an entertaining competition, including some accomplished players made perfect sense.
But perhaps the organisers should have been clearer about what they meant by amateur.
There is a difference between somebody who plays darts recreationally and somebody who has competed on the biggest stages without holding a professional tour card.
That distinction should have been explained much earlier to avoid some of the criticism that followed.