She qualified and faced off against Lisa Ashton in the Women’s World Matchplay last year.
Now Perthshire darts ace Chloe O’Brien is aiming to create more special memories throughout 2023.
O’Brien (19), who grew up in Rattray and stays in Guildtown, has a strong determination to continue her development in the sport and test herself against the best on a regular basis.
Reflecting back on that summer experience against Ashton at Winter Gardens in Blackpool, the former Blairgowrie High pupil told the PA with a smile: “Lisa is the kindest person you will ever meet – but brutal on the board!
“She played her best against me but was very caring after the match. She said it was my first time on the big stage and that it was a good starting point for me.
“Playing in the World Women’s Matchplay gave my profile and confidence a boost. Nobody expected me to get into it but I fought for it. I shocked myself more than anyone else, to be honest.
“Playing on the big stage definitely comes with its challenges. I like people cheering and thought I would hear that.
“But my ears totally shut off. I can’t remember hearing much from the walk-on song until game, shot and the match.
“I think I was so concentrated trying to get a leg, a double or a treble that I shut off all other senses.”
O’Brien, who is signed up with Mission Darts, had qualified for the Matchplay after a number of strong performances in the PDC Women’s Series.
“I’m doing the Women’s Series again and that is my main priority,” she said. “That begins at the end of this month.
“I have been on the circuit for about two years now. I can see the improvements.
“I look back at memories and it is crazy to think where I started off and now I am here. If you had said two years ago I’d be talking with Beau Greaves and Lisa Ashton I’d be saying, ‘where?’
“I know what they can do on the board, so there is no point getting yourself worked up over it. I try to play my own game.”
With work commitments, finding time for practice is not always easy but O’Brien won’t shy away from putting in the extra hours.
She recalled: “I remember I used to play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. All week.
“Work has been busy. But if I get back late at night I’m always trying to get half an hour on the board. I have made a practice routine and will be starting that from next week.”
O’Brien, who continues to play locally for the Dreadnought in Blairgowrie, is always grateful for the support she receives from the community.
“The support from the get-go, back when I started playing in the Blairgowrie league, has always been there,” she said. "My sponsors, six years down the line, are still Blairgowrie-based.
“People were coming over saying: ‘Now you’re famous, are you going to remember us?’ I’ll always be the Chloe they met six years ago with my first set of darts playing in the pub.
“Everyone has continued to support me – and that is just great.”
Familiar opponents Ashton and Greaves played in the recent World Darts Championship at the famous Alexandra Palace in London. Of course, O’Brien has ambitions to follow in their footsteps.
“The thought is always there,” she said. “I think for every darts player the thought is always there. I hope to get there one day.”
