Beau Greaves can remember throwing a dart for the first time. “My brother was playing FIFA on the Xbox and I just started chucking at the board in his bedroom,” she tells SPORTbible, a week before her World Championship opener. “He couldn’t believe it.”
The year is 2014 and at their home in Sprotbrough, a rural village in Doncaster, Taylor Greaves has sprinted down the stairs to tell mum, Tracy, and dad, Dave, about what his 10-year-old sister had just done so effortlessly.
It can be notoriously difficult to peel a teenager away from a game of FIFA but Taylor, a former player on the PDC development tour, needed to share this unexpected revelation with his family.
“They didn’t believe him,” Beau laughs. “But after seeing me throw for themselves, they probably started to think, ‘Oh wait, she’s actually quite good’. From that moment on, darts became my life.“
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After seeing his daughter’s natural talent for the game, Dave Greaves encouraged Beau to play for The Plough, a local pub side in Balby.
In her own words, Beau wasn’t really a ‘girl’s girl’ growing up. “I was a bit of a tomboy,” she says, so throwing darts with a group of middle-aged men on a Monday night was welcomed more than anything.
Soon, she received the now-famous Beau ‘n’ Arrow nickname from a friend of her dad’s and it stuck. Pub teams in the Doncaster and District Men’s League (well, most of them) could often be seen shaking their heads in disbelief as the soon-to-be WDF champion threw 180 after 180.
“Obviously with me being so young, I had to check with all the other pubs in the league if they’d let me play past a certain time because of my age,” Beau recalls. “I think there were only two pubs that didn’t let me play and the rest did."
Four months after throwing her first set of darts, Greaves reached the final of the Winmau World Masters under-18s event. By the age of 12, she was travelling around Europe, representing England at youth level.
In fact, she had beaten 10-time women’s world champion Trina Gulliver in a county match before impressing Michael van Gerwen when she came up against the Dutchman on stage at the World Matchplay in Blackpool — all before turning 13.
When she wasn't beating seasoned professionals, Beau was balancing darts with her studies at secondary school. How did her friends feel about the game in general? “They couldn’t really get their head around it,” says Greaves.
“I suppose people took the mick a little bit, but it never bothered me. I didn’t mind what people said because I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing. And my brother and my dad were quite big-built men, so I doubt anyone was going to say much!”
People from beyond the Doncaster threshold were starting to hear whispers about this prodigy who was becoming renowned for her effortless throwing action and accuracy. Beau says it just felt right throwing those darts in her brother’s bedroom that day.
“She’s a natural. She’s got something that can’t be taught,” Dave Greaves told the Doncaster Free Press in 2016. “Her brother recognised Beau had something special from her first throw. He (Taylor) shouted me to go and watch her.”
More than a decade on and Greaves is recognised by many as one of the world’s top talents ahead of a first-round clash against Daryl Gurney on December 19.
In total, she won 18 of the 24 Women’s Series events in 2025 and finished the campaign with a streak of 13 consecutive titles. She also went on an 86-game unbeaten run, which included a memorable victory over world number one Luke Littler in October.
“I never normally watch the draws, but I did watch this one,” she says after being picked to face Gurney. “I came out right at the end, didn’t I? I’m excited. Nothing’s impossible. I think if I play well and take my chances, then who knows. I just try not to put too much pressure on myself.”
Beau has endeared herself to many across the calendar year, showcasing her humble and level-headed personality. She recently responded to the idea of playing in next year’s Premier League line-up by saying she wasn’t ready.
It’s something she still believes ahead of the World Championship. “I know I haven’t done enough to get into the Premier League. I’m not deluded,” she tells us. “I might have a chance in the future.”
The 21-year-old is also a leading voice for the women's game. She tells us that the PDC should create a separate ladies-only World Championships to "take the pressure off women who think, 'To have a career in darts, you have to beat the men'."
Ultimately, she wants to set an example for the next generation.
"I’d like to do well on the tour, perform well, and hopefully inspire young girls to play along the way," says Greaves. "A few girls are coming through at the moment, but I want more to start throwing. I want them to know they can have a good career in the sport."
The number of girls competing in 80 recognised academies worldwide has increased by 300 per cent over the past year. Greaves has no doubt played a significant role in making that happen.
Despite her record-breaking achievements, Beau's journey has been far from plain sailing. Back in 2021, she pursued a Level One NVQ in painting and decorating after struggling to overcome dartitis. She also helped out with her dad's window-cleaning business.
“Luckily enough, I’ve never had to use those skills from that college course,” Beau smiles.
On a serious note, the side effects of dartitis – a mental condition where the brain stops a player from being able to release a dart – have crept into her game on numerous occasions, including a period in April this year.
“With my dartitis it’s tough and sometimes that gets the better of me," she said after withdrawing from a 2025 Pro Tour event due to anxiety. "I have been to the doctors about it before and it has helped but it also hasn’t."
In the past, Greaves has said she rarely practises for more than 10 minutes a day, something that may help avoid the kind of mental burnout and increased anxiety that can trigger dartitis.
Coming into her first round opener against Daryl Gurney at the Worlds, Beau is as relaxed as they come. "I never have practised much, even from the start of my career," she says. "It’s one of them — if you’re not practising well, it kind of gets into your head.
"I’m quite a boring person, really. I’ll have a chuck at some point, have a good practice. It depends. Sometimes, if I’m not playing at home, I tend to just go out and play a lot of pool and a bit of golf."
"I need to get practising a lot more, actually," she grins. "I need to put the hours in and have no excuses for whatever happens at the Worlds."
After such a positive year, Greaves is feeling good on the eve of arguably her biggest test to date.
"It’s important for me to enjoy darts. If I'm enjoying it, then the results will come," Beau tells us. "I’m only young. If I get beat, I get beat — then I look forward to the tour card. If I win, it’s a massive bonus. Who knows.
"My darts are in a good place," she smiles. "I feel confident."
As we say our goodbyes, Beau mentions the day she threw her first dart in Taylor's bedroom on that day in 2014. "It’s just flown by," she says, reflecting on how far she has come. "I'm a professional... it’s really strange to think about."
Topics: Darts, World Darts Championship, Spotlight
Jack Kenmare