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TRAILBLAZER Deta Hedman plans to deliver on the Ally Pally oche — thanks to 1am practises in the mail room.
The 61-year-old — the second-oldest debutant in the PDC World Darts Championship — plays Andy Boulton in the first round on Saturday evening.
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The Jamaica-born ace is not a professional player, instead working unsociable hours at the Royal Mail sorting office in Chelmsford.
Yet when not sifting through thousands of Christmas cards and presents, she is dreaming of winning on the biggest stage of her life.
Hedman, whose last shift finished at 4am on Wednesday, said: “I’ve been at Royal Mail for 23 years now. Basically, I do everything and anything that needs to be done — I sort the mail, I do packages, I work on the machines.
“I only work four days a week but I do 13-hour shifts. It’s not a big deal. Some people work longer hours.
“My hours are normally Monday 6pm to 4am, and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I go in at 3pm until 4am. After a while you get used to it — it’s part and parcel of working.
“I was given permission to put up a dartboard at work in the games room.
“So it’s in my lunch hour where I get most of my practice in. I do 20-30 minutes practice at 1am!”
Hedman, beaten three times in the Lakeside women’s world final, will often finish a shift and head straight to tournaments.
Saturday Order of Play
AFTERNOON (12pm start),
FIRST ROUND: Steve Lennon (Ire) v Daniel Larsson (Swe) Scott Waites v Matt Campbell (Can) Kim Huybrechts (Bel) v Di Zhuang (Chn).
SECOND ROUND: Mervyn King v Max Hopp (Ger.)
EVENING (6pm start)
FIRST ROUND: Andy Hamilton v Nico Kurz (Ger) Andy Boulton v Deta Hedman Damon Heta (Aus) v Danny Baggish (USA). SECOND ROUND: Michael van Gerwen (Hol) v Ryan Murray (Scot).
She laughed: “I remember once we flew to Denmark.
“Everything was packed and I went to the airport, driving there from the sorting centre.
“When we got to the venue at a sports centre, I took out my darts shirt and had 30 minutes’ sleep before it started. In between games, I caught up on my sleep — and I made the final as well.”
Naturally everyone celebrated Fallon Sherrock’s successes 12 months ago when she became the first woman to beat a man at a world championship.
However, it is often forgotten that Hedman was the original history-maker, beating two men (Aaron Turner and Norman Fletcher) at the 2005 UK Open.
That was the first time a woman had beaten a man live on TV.
If she performs again tonight then it will be, she says, the crowning glory of her near 50-year association with darts.
And the absence of a noisy, tanked-up crowd is likely to help not hinder on her appearance.
It’s the biggest stage in darts for men and women so, yeah, it’s the pinnacle of my career
Deta Hedman
Hedman, who emigrated to England in 1973 and comes from a strong sporting family, said: “I feel like an overnight sensation — at 61! What is that all about?
“It’s the biggest stage in darts for men and women so, yeah, it’s the pinnacle of my career.
“It would have been great having fans there but I didn’t approve when the guys are on the double and they’re booed.
“It happened for Ted Evetts and with Mensur Suljovic against Fallon.
“It would have probably put me off even though I know they would be doing it for me.
“I like to play in a fair manner.”
