Local darts player Joanne Hadley has locked in a place at the WDF Lakeside World Championship in November. Photo: File.
Echuca darts player Joanne Hadley has hit the target once again, scoring one of her most impressive wins to date.
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In February, Hadley took out the South Australian classic, the only Australian gold level event.
After coming runner-up the past two years, Hadley broke through this time around at the Licensed Club Darts Association in Salisbury Park to claim the title.
The local player fought through a series of tough contests, picking up a 4 legs to 3 win in the quarter-final, and a 5-4 win in the semi-final.
The wins led Hadley to the final against Monica Ribeiro where the Echuca player claimed the championship 6-4.
Despite the close encounters, Hadley said she felt good about her prospects throughout the tournament, going in as the number one seed.
“I had a good feeling about the tournament because I've been runner-up the last two years in it, to Amanda, my good friend,” she said.
“It was one of those strange days; I don't know why, even though I was in some hairy situations in some games, I always just had a feeling I was going to win for some reason.”
Joanne Hadley won the South Australian Classic in February. Photo: Supplied.
The gold level event earned Hadley a place at the World Darts Federation Lakeside World Championships in England in November, where she will compete among the World Darts Federation top 24 women in the world.
Hadley also earned 180 ranking points as a result of the win.
She is currently the top-ranked female in the country and eighth in the world.
“Getting past the first round would be great because it's only 24 women,” Hadley said of her goals for the tournament.
“When you've got enough points, where you finish qualifies you to go and play, so the best of the best are going to be there.”
While Hadley is secure in her position, darts players from around the world will still be battling to secure the remaining qualification spots for the world championships, either through event wins or rankings points.
A state-level stalwart for Victoria for more than 20 years, Hadley has come into a rich vein of form over the past few years, making her Australian debut in 2023.
“I think you mature with the game, the older you get,” she said.
“I've been playing darts for a lot of years now and been there, done that with a lot of things.
“I've won a lot of tournaments over the years, and the players know that they're not going to get an easy game when they play me.
“I think it's just a matter of focus and concentration.
“At the end of 2022 when I finished number one in Australia, I thought, ‘Right, I'm going to give it a real fair dinkum crack next year’.
“I really started putting in a lot of practice on the board and focusing and just trying to train my brain to not worry about all the white noise.”
Like in many sports, there is limited support for Hadley to make the trip to the UK to compete in the world championships.
The Echuca player is looking for additional sponsorship opportunities to help support her trip to the tournament, and is offering branding on her playing shirts for those who provide support.
Interested potential sponsors can contact Joanne on 0438 739 605 for more information.
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