Maria gives good showing in Prestatyn despite injury

PLYMOUTH’S England international Maria O’Brien gave a good account of herself at the Pontins Red Dragon Welsh darts tournament, held at Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park when, despite carrying a shoulder injury, won her way through to the last eight of the ladies’ two major competitions

Maria won her opening match of the Welsh Classic against Ruth Bailey-Harris (Wales) by a 3-1 margin before defeating Kirsty Hutchinson 4-2, a finalist in the Slovak Masters earlier in the year.

O’Brien then won her group with a 4-2 defeat of Scotland’s Chelsea McMahon before bowing out in the last eight when defeated 4-2 by former World No.1 Lorraine Winstanley.

She had an equally good start in the Welsh Open and defeated both Rachel Parnell and Cheshire’s Debbie Davies in three straight legs before winning her board final 4-1 when ending the hopes of Welsh teenager Eleanor Cairns.

Maria followed those successes with a morale-boosting 4-2 defeat of 10-times World champion Trina Gulliver before bowing out 4-1 to the current World No.1 Lisa Ashton.

Both the Welsh Ladies’ Classic and Welsh Open was won 15-year-old Beau Greaves, just weeks after she hit a nine-dart leg in competition.

Beau defeated Anastasia Dobromyslova 5-2 in the Classic and was a 5-3 winner against Lisa Ashton in the Welsh Open boasting averages of 27.84 and 28.77 respectively.

Greaves went on to make it a winning treble when she also claimed the girl’s title.

Maria paired up with Lisa Ashton for the doubles event hoping to claim their first title and the duo had a good run to the quarter finals where they defeated current world champion Mikuru Suzuki and Belgium’s Vicky Pruim.

They were denied a place in the final though when they were edged out 2-1 by Fallon Sherrock and Katie Bellerby.

In the mixed doubles Maria partnered Lincolnshire’s Simon Stainton, a player who won through to the semi-final of the Romanian Open back in January and they had two victories before bowing out in the round of 64.