Luke Humphries showed true colours after inspiring World Matchplay star to return to darts

Gemma Hayter will grace the famous Winter Gardens stage after being inspired to get back into darts by old friend Luke Humphries. The 31-year-old will make her Women’s World Matchplay debut on Sunday, just 18 months after ending her eight-year break from the game.

Hayter was an exciting prospect as a teenager and was even touted as a future world champion at one stage. She played youth darts with Humphries and was called up to represent England almost a decade ago, teaming up with the likes of Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton.

However, around the same time, she quit the game, citing a lack of opportunities for female players. She said: “I was 12 or 13 when my nan took me along to the Hampshire youth set-up and I played youth darts. Then, when I was 14, I got called up to the senior team and played senior darts for a few years.

READ MORE: Luke Littler's opponent at World Matchplay broke darts' golden rule before issuing apology

READ MORE: Darts legend, 59, up for PDC Tour comeback as he vows never to quit sport

"In 2016, I qualified to play for England. But that was the year I gave up for eight years. I just felt there was no opportunity for the women back then. I didn’t do the BDO tour, as it was back then, so the highest I could go was to play for England.

“I also met my partner and we got quite serious. We wanted to buy a house and I was spending £200 a weekend to play one game for Hampshire. I felt there should have been more competitions for the ladies.”

Hayter still played the odd game during her sabbatical but was inspired to get back into the sport properly during the 2023/24 World Championship. She said: “It was a bit of Luke Littler fever when he played his first Worlds. And I played youth darts with Luke Humphries and that was the year he won it.

“It was someone I’d known since I was 16. If that doesn’t inspire you, nothing will. Darts was everywhere and I still had a board at home. I was throwing and said to my other half, ‘These are going really well.’

“She said, ‘If you want to get back into it…’ I looked at when the Women’s Series started and she said, ‘Right, I’ll book the weekend off and will drive you.’”

Hayter hit the ground running at her first Women’s Series tournament in 2024. After beating Sherrock, she was suddenly inundated with offers from potential managers. That prompted her to turn to Humphries for advice, and he showed his class in response.

“When I came back to darts, I had a few good results. At my second ever Women’s Series event, I beat Fallon 5-1 with like a 97 average,” she added.

“I then had a few contract offers from managers, so I messaged Luke. I said, ‘I know you’re really, really busy, but you know about this stuff more than me,’ and he navigated it with me.”

Hayter eventually signed with MODUS management and the Red Dragon manufacturer, who are also Humphries’ backers. “He’s a really nice, genuine and laid-back guy,” said Hayter, who will face Sherrock in the quarter-finals of the Women's Matchplay.

“I never thought he’d be doing what he’s doing now. He was always a decent player but he didn’t play any senior darts at that point [when we played together]. His rise has been brilliant to watch.”

The Women’s Series and tournaments like the Women’s Matchplay have been welcome additions to the calendar, giving Hayter an incentive to get back into the sport. However, she isn’t entirely satisfied with how the female game is promoted and supported.

“A lot of the manufacturers and people who sponsor darts players, they’re not really backing the women,” she said. “And I’ve been quite critical of the PDC. I don’t feel like they push the women enough.

“They didn’t put any of the Women’s Series finals on YouTube until I kicked up a bit of stink about it online. I put up a post on Twitter [saying], ‘Why are we not getting seen?’ All they were posting was the last six darts of a final.”

With that in mind, Hayter would like to see more women’s tournaments in the PDC, like a World Championship. She added: “I think now is the time,. The trouble is, the PDC are only interested in when the women are beating the blokes, that’s the only time you see them get pushed, which is a shame.

“Everyone knows Beau, Fallon and Lisa Ashton are great players. They’re producing big averages against each other but no one is seeing it. They need to get people interested in the women's players more.”