Lisa Ashton

Lisa Ashton (born 27 August 1970) is an English professional darts player who competes in World Darts Federation (WDF) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "The Lancashire Rose", Ashton formerly competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. She is a four-time BDO Women's World Champion. She held a PDC Tour Card from 2020–2021, having become the first woman to win a tour card at Q-School.

Lisa Ashton
Personal information
Nickname	"The Lancashire Rose"
Born	(1970-08-27) 27 August 1970 (age 54) Bolton, Lancashire, England
Darts information
Playing darts since	1992
Darts	24g Red Dragon
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"On a Mission" by Gabriella Cilmi
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	2007–2020
PDC	2019– (Tour Card: 2020–2021)
WDF	2007–2020, 2022–
Current world ranking	(PDC) NR (27 April 2025)[1]
WDF major events – best performances
World Championship	Winner (4): 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
World Masters	Winner (3): 2011, 2018, 2019
World Trophy	Winner (3): 2015, 2016, 2019
Finder Masters	Winner (2): 2008, 2018
Australian Open	Winner (2): 2019, 2023
Dutch Open	Winner (1): 2016
PDC premier events – best performances
World Championship	Last 96: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
UK Open	Last 96: 2021
Grand Slam	Group Stage: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
WSDT major events – best performances
World Championship	Semi Final: 2024
World Matchplay	Quarter Final: 2022, 2024
World Masters	Last 16: 2024
Other tournament wins
ADC Ladies Championship Tour 2023 (x6) Antwerp Open 2016 BDO European Darts Open 2016 BDO Gold Cup 2010, 2013, 2015 BDO International Open 2016 Belgium Open 2018 British Open 2018, 2019, 2022 British Classic 2019 British International (x9) 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 British Pentathlon 2008 Czech Open 2019 England Classic 2015, 2016 England Masters 2015, 2019 England Open 2018 England National Singles 2011, 2012 French Open 2017 Hal Masters 2016 Hal Open 2016, 2017 Isle of Man Classic 2015, 2018 Isle of Man Masters 2018, 2019 Isle of Man Open 2016 Jersey Classic 2012, 2014, 2015 Jersey Open 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Northern Cyprus Open 2019 Northern Ireland Open 2022 Northern Ireland Matchplay 2022 Pacific Masters 2022, 2023 Scottish Open 2019 Swedish Open 2016 Swedish Classic 2018, 2019 Swiss Open 2024 Turkish Open 2018 Welsh Classic 2010 Welsh Open 2015 PDC Women's Series (x18) 2020 (x2), 2021 (x5), 2022 (x7), 2023 (x1), 2024 (x2), 2025 (x1)
Medal record Women's Darts Representing  England WDF World Cup 2009 Charlotte Women's pairs 2009 Charlotte Women's overall 2015 Antalya Women's singles 2015 Antalya Women's pairs 2015 Antalya Women's team 2015 Antalya Women's overall WDF Europe Cup 2014 Bucharest Women's team 2014 Bucharest Women's overall 2008 Copenhagen Women's singles 2010 Kemer Women's singles 2010 Kemer Women's pairs Representing  United Kingdom EDF European Ch'ship 2022 Podčetrtek Women's singles

She has won over 100 titles in women's darts competitions.

Career

Ashton reached the quarter-finals of the 2007 Women's World Masters, beating 1996 finalist Heike Jenkins (Ernst) in the last 16 before losing to Rilana Erades. The next year, she reached the semi-finals, beating Anne Kirk in the last 16 and then beat Australia's Cathy Shaw, before losing to eventual winner Francis Hoenselaar.

Ashton then won the 2008 Women's Zuiderduin Masters, beating Trina Gulliver in the final.^[2] Ashton qualified for the 2009 Women's World Championship and made her debut at the event. She met Gulliver once more in the quarter-finals but was beaten 2–0. In 2010, Ashton got as far as the semi-finals of the Winmau World Masters, where she lost to Francis Hoenselaar 4–2.^[3] In 2011, Ashton defeated Trina Gulliver 4–1 to win the Winmau World Masters.^[4] Ashton reached the final of the 2013 BDO World Darts Championship after defeating both Deta Hedman and Sharon Prins 2–0, before she eventually lost to Anastasia Dobromyslova 2–1.

Ashton hit ten 180s on her way to winning the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship at the Lakeside Country Club, which had 16 women qualifiers for the first time in its history.^[5] She defeated Aileen de Graaf in the first round, which went to a sudden death deciding leg. She then defeated Tamara Schuur in the Quarter Finals. She then beat Anastasia Dobromyslova, in the semi-final, surviving 6 match darts, before eventually going on to beat Deta Hedman in the final, 3–2.^[6] She successfully defended her title in 2015 with a 3–1 win over Fallon Sherrock.^[7] Ashton then won the BDO World Trophy, by defeating Anastasia Dobromyslova in the final. At the Winmau World Masters, she lost in the final to Aileen de Graaf after missing six match darts.

At the 2016 BDO World Darts Championship, Ashton was beaten 2–1 by Trina Gulliver in the quarter-finals. At the 2016 BDO World Trophy, she hit a record three-dart average for a televised women's match of 98.85.^[8] In the 2017 BDO World Darts Championship, both Ashton and Corrine Hammond reached the final without losing a set. Ashton won the final 3–0. Ashton won the 2018 BDO World Darts Championship after she beat Dobromyslova 3–1 in the final. This was her fourth World Championship title in five years. Ashton entered the 2019 PDC Qualifying School. She missed out on getting a tour card by one point.^[9]

After losing out in the final of the 2020 BDO World Darts Championship to defending champion Mikuru Suzuki, Ashton became the first woman to win a PDC Tour card through Q-School,^[10] by finishing in twelfth place on the UK Q-School Order of Merit. On 5 March 2021, she became the first female to win a match at the UK Open since 2005, defeating Aaron Beeney 6–2 in Round 2 of the 2021 UK Open, and, also setting a new world record, for the highest average of 100.3, on TV, by a female player in her victory over Beeney.^[11]

In the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship she lost 3–0 to Ron Meulenkamp in the first round and also lost her PDC tour card. She didn't win it back at Q School. In February, she played in the 2022 World Seniors Darts Championship and got a bye into second round, where she lost 1–3 by sets to Terry Jenkins. Ashton qualified for the 2022 Women's World Matchplay by being in the top 8 in the PDC Women's Series after 12 events. She beat Chloe O'Brien 4–0 in the Quarter-finals but lost 5–4 to Aileen de Graaf in the semi-finals.^[12]

Ashton played at the 2023 PDC World Championship. She was defeated in the first round by Ryan Meikle 3–2.^[13]

Personal life

Lisa's daughters Danielle Ashton and Lindsey Ashton both play darts. In 2018 all three entered the 2019 PDC World Championship Qualifiers.^[14] Lisa qualified for the 2019 PDC World Championship.

World Championship results

BDO/WDF

• 2009: Quarter-final (lost to Trina Gulliver 0–2)
• 2012: Quarter-final (lost to Trina Gulliver 0–2)
• 2013: Runner-up (lost to Anastasia Dobromyslova 1–2)
• 2014: Winner (beat Deta Hedman 3–2)
• 2015: Winner (beat Fallon Sherrock 3–1)
• 2016: Quarter-final (lost to Trina Gulliver 1–2)
• 2017: Winner (beat Corrine Hammond 3–0)
• 2018: Winner (beat Anastasia Dobromyslova 3–1)
• 2019: First round (lost to Mikuru Suzuki 0–2)
• 2020: Runner-up (lost to Mikuru Suzuki 0–3)
• 2023: Semi-final (lost to Aileen de Graaf 1–3)
• 2024: First round (lost to Sophie McKinlay 1–2)

PDC

• 2019: First round (lost to Jan Dekker 1–3)
• 2021: First round (lost to Adam Hunt 2–3)
• 2022: First round (lost to Ron Meulenkamp 0–3)
• 2023: First round (lost to Ryan Meikle 2–3)

WSDT

• 2022: Second round (lost to Terry Jenkins 1–3)
• 2023: First round (lost to Neil Duff 2–3)
• 2024: Semi-final (lost to Colin McGarry 2–3)
• 2025: First round (lost to Tony O'Shea 2–3)

Performance timeline

Tournament	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
PDC Ranked televised events
World Championship	DNQ												1R	DNQ	1R	1R	1R	DNQ
UK Open	DNQ													1R	3R	DNQ
Grand Slam of Darts	DNQ												RR	RR	RR	RR	DNQ
WDF Ranked televised events
World Championship	DNQ		QF	DNQ		QF	F	W	W	QF	W	W	1R	F	NH	DNP	SF	1R
World Masters	QF	SF	QF	SF	W	2R	3R	QF	F	QF	4R	W	W	NH		DNP	NH	DNP
Finder Masters	DNQ	W	DNQ							RR	DNQ	W	NH
Australian Open	NH												W	NH		RR	W	NH
Dutch Open	DNP									W	F	DNP				4R	DNP
PDC Non-ranked televised events
Women's World Matchplay	NH															SF	SF	SF

PDC Players Championships

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
2020	BAR 1R	BAR 2R	WIG 3R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 2R	MIL 1R	NIE 3R	NIE 1R	NIE 4R	NIE 2R	NIE 2R	COV 1R	COV 1R	COV 1R	COV 2R	COV 2R
2021	BOL 1R	BOL 1R	BOL 1R	BOL 1R	MIL 4R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	NIE 1R	NIE 1R	NIE 1R	NIE 2R	MIL 1R	MIL 2R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	COV 1R	COV 1R	COV 1R	COV 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 2R	BAR 2R	BAR 2R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R

Performance Table Legend
W	Won the tournament	F	Finalist	SF	Semifinalist	QF	Quarterfinalist	#R RR Prel.	Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round	DQ	Disqualified
DNQ	Did not qualify	DNP	Did not participate	WD	Withdrew	NH	Tournament not held			NYF	Not yet founded

Career finals

BDO major finals: 1 (4 titles, 2 runners-up)

Legend
World Championship (4–2)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2013	World Darts Championship	Anastasia Dobromyslova	1–2 (s)
Winner	1.	2014	World Darts Championship	Deta Hedman	3–2 (s)
Winner	1.	2015	World Darts Championship	Fallon Sherrock	3–1 (s)
Winner	1.	2017	World Darts Championship	Corrine Hammond	3–0 (s)
Winner	1.	2018	World Darts Championship	Anastasia Dobromyslova	3–1 (s)
Runner-up	1.	2020	World Darts Championship	Mikuru Suzuki	0–3 (s)