William O’Connor lifts media ban after Beau Greaves ‘circus’ at Ally Pally

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    William O’Connor has revealed how he dealt with the so-called circus that surrounded Beau Greaves highly-anticipated debut at the PDC World Darts Championship.

    Greaves arrived at the Ally Pally as the new queen of women’s darts after a scintillating run of results in the Women’s Series and on the WDF tour. At the age of 18, the Doncaster teenager appears to have the darting world at her feet and there was huge media interest in her first match against Irishman O’Connor.

    Knowing he was the potential fall-guy to one of the sport’s biggest stories of the year, O’Connor pulled up the shutters and kept a low profile ahead of the tournament by declining interview requests.

    READ MORE: Darts fans amazed as Beau Greaves casually checks phone on stage during Ally Pally debut

    The approach seemed to work as he produced an excellent display to see off a spirited challenge from Greaves, who held her own over the first two sets before O’Connor stretched away in the second half of the match to win 3-0.

    Asked how he prepared mentally for such a high-profile game, he told Sky Sports: “She’s just another darts player. If you want there to be a circus, there’ll be a circus.

    “I didn’t do any media. Everyone asked me to do media. I didn’t do media. I’ll do media now. I’m not going to be part of a circus, I’ll be part of a darts game. If you want to be part of a circus, you’ve got the wrong guy.”

    What did you think of Beau Greaves' Ally Pally debut? Tell us in the comments section below

    But O’Connor reserved special praise for Greaves, who, despite the defeat, looked like she belonged on the Ally Pally stage.

    “She is the future of darts,” he said. “She is brilliant. I threw the kitchen sink at her but she didn’t go away.

    “There was very little in those first two sets, she could have easily been 2-0 up. I can’t give her enough praise.

    “She’s a lovely human being, I can’t say a bad word about her. She’s got a bright future ahead of her. Beau, I wish you the very best of luck, not that you need it. You’re going places. Just please, don’t draw me next year!”

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