Deta Hedman (born 14 November 1959) is an English darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) events.
Biography
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
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'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]
Deta Hedman at the Czech Open Darts, 2021
PDC
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
Hedman was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020.[13]
World Championship results
PDC
2010 (women's): Quarter-finals (lost to Fiona Carmichael 2–4)
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
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]
