Wikipedia

Deta Hedman

Deta Hedman (born 14 November 1959) is an English darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) events.

Deta Hedman
Hedman in 2018
Personal information
Nickname"The Heart of Darts"
Born (1959-11-14) 14 November 1959 (age 65)
Kingston, West Indies Federation
Home townWitham, England
Darts information
Playing darts since1973
Darts28g One80 Deta Hedman
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"Hot Hot Hot" by Arrow
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO1987–1996, 2010–2020
PDC2002–2007, 2022 Q School
WDF2010–
Current world ranking(WDF W) 2 Decrease 1 (5 September 2022)[1]
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'shipRunner Up: 2012, 2014, 2016
World MastersWinner (2) 1994, 2013
World TrophyRunner Up: 2016
Finder MastersWinner (2) 1996,[2] 2011
Dutch OpenWinner (3) 2010, 2017, 2018
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship(Women's) Quarter final: 2010[3]
(Mixed gender) Last 96: 2021
UK OpenLast 64: 2005
Desert Classic(Women's) Winner 2002[4]
WSDT major events – best performances
World Ch'shipLast 24: 2022
World MatchplayLast 16: 2022
World MastersLast 16: 2022
Other tournament wins
Ansell's British Ladies Pentathlon1989
Aquarius 500 Competition1995
ADC Women's Ch'ship Tour2023 (x2), 2024 (x3)
ADC Women's Ch'ship Tour Finals2023
Antwerp Open1993, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2023
Australian Grand Masters1994
BDO International Open2012, 2013, 2014
Belgium Open1996, 2009, 2011, 2015
British Classic2010, 2012, 2014
British Open2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
British Pentathlon2010, 2013, 2014
Cockney Classic1990, 1991
Czech Open2011, 2013, 2021
Denmark Masters2014, 2016, 2018, 2021
Denmark Open1994, 1995, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022
Dutch Open2010, 2017, 2018
England Classic2010, 2012, 2013, 2024
England Masters2010, 2016, 2017
England Open2013, 2016, 2021
Finnish Open1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2010
French Open1994, 1995, 2014, 2016, 2019
German Masters2014
German Open2011, 2012, 2013, 2017
Hal Open2014
Hungarian Open2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Hungarian Masters2016, 2019, 2021
Irish Classic2021
Isle of Man Open1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2011, 2017
Isle of Man Classic2016
Muensterland Trophy2014
Northern Ireland Open2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
Norway Open1992, 1994
Pacific Masters1994
PDC Women's Series2021
Police Masters2011, 2012, 2013
Polish Open2011, 2012, 2013
Romanian Classic2024
Romanian Open2024
Scottish Open1995, 1997, 2012, 2013, 2022
Swedish Open1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2010
Swiss Open1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2012
Turkish Open2009
Welsh Classic2013
Welsh Open1993, 1994, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018
Medal record
Women's Darts
Representing  England
WDF World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1995 Basel Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 1995 Basel Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2011 Castlebar Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2011 Castlebar Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2013 St. John's Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 2013 St. John's Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2013 St. John's Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2015 Antalya Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Antalya Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cluj Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cluj Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2023 Esbjerg Women's pairs
Silver medal – second place 2015 Antalya Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2015 Antalya Women's pairs
Silver medal – second place 2019 Cluj Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Basel Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Castlebar Women's singles
WDF Europe Cup
Gold medal – first place 1994 Stockholm Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1994 Stockholm Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 1994 Stockholm Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 1996 Bundoran Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 1996 Bundoran Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2014 Bucharest Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2014 Bucharest Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2016 Egmond aan Zee Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Egmond aan Zee Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2018 Budapest Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2018 Budapest Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2018 Budapest Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Women's overall
Silver medal – second place 1996 Bundoran Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2014 Bucharest Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2016 Egmond aan Zee Women's pairs
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Kemer Women's pairs
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Bucharest Women's pairs

Biography

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Hedman was born in Jamaica in 1959. Her parents emigrated to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s, leaving Hedman and her siblings in the care of relatives in Jamaica.[5] She spent her childhood with her aunt in Castleton in a shack without running water or electricity, going to school from Monday to Thursday and working on the farm on Fridays.[5] Her parents eventually settled in Witham, Essex and over time, brought their children to the UK, with Hedman joining them in January 1973.[5] She started playing darts with her older brother after babysitting for him and then at the local pub in Witham and further afield in Essex.[5] When she was 25, she joined a super league. She was selected for the county, and in 1987 she began playing in British Darts Organisation events.[5]

Career

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Hedman reached the Women's World Masters final for the first time in 1990, losing to Rhian Speed. She beat defending champion Mandy Solomons to win the Women's World Masters in 1994.[6] When she retired from darts in 1997 due to work commitments, she had been Women's World Number 1 since 1994.[7]

Hedman returned to darts in 2002 with the Professional Darts Corporation. She qualified for the UK Open in 2004, and more famously in 2005, when she defeated Aaron Turner and Norman Fletcher before losing to Wayne Atwood in the last 64. Her win over Turner was the first time that a female darts player had beaten a male player in a televised major.[6]

Due to work commitments, Hedman retired again in 2007 but returned to the BDO in 2009.[6] After winning numerous open titles in 2009, she qualified for the BDO Women's World Championship for the first time in 2010. She defeated Irina Armstrong 2–0 in the quarter-finals, but was beaten 2–0 by eventual champion Trina Gulliver in the semi-finals. Hedman won the 2010 BDO Classic tournament beating Karen Lawman 3-2 in the final.[8]

Hedman also competed in the first PDC Women's World Darts Championship in 2010, but lost to Fiona Carmichael in the quarter-finals.[9]

At the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship, Hedman defeated Belgium's Patricia De Peuter 2–1 in the quarter-finals before being whitewashed 2–0 by Rhian Edwards in the semi-finals.

Hedman's best run at the BDO World Darts Championship came in 2012, where she beat Rhian Edwards and Lorraine Farlam to reach the final. In the final, she led Anastasia Dobromyslova by a set and threw for the championship, but was broken and ultimately lost 2–1.[10] This was equalled by her 2016 run where she lost in the final to Trina Gulliver.

Despite being ranked No.1 for the 2013 BDO World Darts Championship Hedman was knocked out in the first round 0–2 by Lisa Ashton. The following season, Hedman won 14 titles and once again reached the world final, but lost once again this time from 2–0 in sets and 2–1 in legs having yet again thrown for the title. Hedman eventually lost the final 3–2 to Lisa Ashton despite having a checkout percentage over 75%.[11]

Hedman reached the final of the 2016 BDO World Darts Championship but was beaten by Trina Gulliver who won her 10th title.[12]

PDC

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She competed for a tour card at the 2020 Q-School but failed to gain a tour card. In October 2020 the PDC held the inaugural Women's Series, a set of 4 events with 2 qualifying spots for the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship. She tied with Fallon Sherrock on the Order of Merit, however Hedman won beating Sherrock 85–83 on legs won, meaning Hedman would make her debut in the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship. She would go onto lose 3–1 to Andy Boulton.

Awards

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Hedman was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020.[13]

World Championship results

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PDC

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  • 2010 (women's): Quarter-finals (lost to Fiona Carmichael 2–4)
  • 2021: First round (lost to Andy Boulton 1–3)

BDO/WDF

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WSDT

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Personal life

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Hedman's brother Rudi was a professional footballer playing for Colchester United and Crystal Palace. Her other brother, Al, was a professional darts player and former 1995 BDO British Open Champion.[14] Her nephew Graham is a 400-metre runner.

Controversies

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In December 2023, Hedman posted a post on Facebook about her frustrations with allowing transgender players to play in women's ranking events and labelled it as unfair.[15] During the WDF Denmark Women's Open in May 2024, she withdrew in the quarter-finals against Noa-Lynn van Lueven.[16] Many fans speculated that she withdrew from the tournament as a sign of protest, saying transgender players should not be allowed to play.[17] According to Phill Barrs, Hedman told event organisers she was feeling ill and was in pain before withdrawing, allowing her to pick up her ranking points.[18] As reported by the New York Post, Hedman pushed back on reports she pulled out of the match due to an illness and also declined compensation she may have lost due to her decision. “No fake illness I said I wouldn’t play a man in a ladies event,” Hedman wrote on X. [19]

References

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  1. ^ "WDF Women's Rankings Table". WDF. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  2. ^ "EGM". Jeroen Snijders (1996). Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  3. ^ 2010 PDC Womens World Championship Darts Database
  4. ^ 2002 Womens Las Vegas Desert Classic Darts Database
  5. ^ a b c d e Grey, Becky (13 August 2020). "Deta Hedman: 'I'm not here to please you. I'm here to play a game that I enjoy'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Deta Hedman: "I don't really think about how many titles I've won, I just go with the flow really!"". Love The Darts. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Profile for Deta Hedman". Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Ross Montgomery and Deta Hedman win BDO Classic titles". BBC Sport. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Joy For Wright & Bromberg". PDCTV. Professional Darts Corporation. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Bullseye checkout seals Dobromyslova win". BBC Sport. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  11. ^ "BDO World Darts: Lisa Ashton defeats Deta Hedman in final". BBC Sport. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  12. ^ Cartwright, Phil (9 January 2016). "Trina Gulliver wins 10th BDO World Championships title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  13. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2020: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Interview with Deta Hedman". Global Darts. 2013.
  15. ^ Verbeek, Pieter (12 December 2023). "Deta Hedman wants to ban transgenders in ladies darts ranking events". Darts News. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  16. ^ Gill, Samuel (4 May 2024). "Deta Hedman refuses to play transgender Noa-Lynn van Leuven and forfeits game at Denmark Open". Darts News. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  17. ^ Shaw, Jamie (4 May 2024). "Deta Hedman forfeits match against Noa-Lynn van Leuven at the Denmark Open in transgender protest". Live Darts. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  18. ^ Barrs, Phill (4 May 2024). "Phill Barrs alleged "context"". X (formally Twitter). Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  19. ^ Gaydos, Ryan (7 May 2024). "British female darts player Deta Hedman refuses to play transgender opponent, forfeits match". Retrieved 10 May 2024.
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