In the electrifying theatre of professional darts, where flamboyant personalities and raucous walk-ons often command the spotlight, a new and compelling figure is emerging. She doesn’t roar at the crowd or bristle with overt aggression. Instead, she approaches the oche with a serene focus, her composure a stark contrast to the high-stakes pressure of the sport. Her name is Jade Damarell, and her quiet defiance is making a very loud noise in the world of women’s darts.
Known as “The Dark Rose,” the player from Cornwall, England, has blossomed on the world stage, culminating in a breakout performance at the 2024 WDF World Darts Championship that put the entire sport on notice. She is a symbol of the growing depth in the women’s game, a talent whose rhythmic throw and steely temperament suggest a future filled with major titles.
But who is Jade Damarell? What is the story behind her rise from the local leagues to the legendary Lakeside stage? What makes her style so effective, and what is the significance of her epic clash with the seemingly invincible Beau Greaves? This definitive article will explore the journey of Jade Damarell, answering the key questions that fans are asking on Google and YouTube about one of darts’ most intriguing new stars.
The Journey to the Oche: Forging a Player in Cornwall
Every darts player’s story begins far from the glare of television cameras, in the humble settings of pubs, social clubs, and local leagues. Jade Damarell’s journey is rooted in the passionate darts community of Cornwall, a county in the southwest of England. It was here, surrounded by family and local players, that she first picked up a set of arrows and began honing her craft.
Unlike some players who burst onto the scene as teenage prodigies, Damarell’s ascent has been more gradual and methodical. She built her reputation on the local and county circuits, developing the consistency and mental fortitude required to succeed. Competing in these environments is the ultimate apprenticeship in darts; it teaches a player how to handle pressure, manage a match, and, most importantly, how to win.
Her transition to the wider World Darts Federation (WDF) circuit marked the next stage of her development. The WDF tour is a grueling international circuit where players compete for ranking points to qualify for the major televised tournaments, most notably the World Championship at the Lakeside Country Club. For years, Damarell has been a consistent presence at these events, picking up valuable experience and registering solid results that saw her steadily climb the rankings. While she may not have been grabbing the headlines, she was quietly building the foundations of a world-class player, earning the respect of her peers long before she became known to the wider public. This steady, under-the-radar progress is a hallmark of her character. It speaks to a dedication to the sport that isn’t reliant on external validation but is driven by an internal desire for improvement.
The Breakout Moment: A Star is Born at the 2024 WDF World Championship
For any darts player, the World Championship is the pinnacle. The iconic Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green is hallowed ground, a venue that has crowned legends of the sport for decades. In April 2024, Jade Damarell arrived at the Lakeside not as a favourite, but as a dangerous, unseeded player capable of causing an upset. What followed was a performance that transformed her from a circuit regular into a household name.
Her campaign began with a solid, professional victory over Japan’s Mayumi Ouchi, winning 2-0 in sets. It was a confident start, but her next match would be the one that truly announced her arrival. She faced the #7 seed, Rhian O’Sullivan, a highly experienced and respected Welsh international. In a tight, tense encounter, Damarell showcased her incredible composure, clinching a 2-1 victory to book her place in the quarter-finals.
In the quarters, she met another formidable opponent in the Netherlands’ Aletta Wajer. Once again, the match went to a deciding set, and once again, Damarell’s calm temperament prevailed. She refused to be rattled, producing key shots at critical moments to win 2-1 and secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Reaching the semi-final of a World Championship is a monumental achievement for any player. But the challenge that awaited her was the darting equivalent of climbing Mount Everest: a showdown with the reigning, defending, and seemingly unbeatable World Champion, Beau “Beau ‘n’ Arrow” Greaves.
The Epic Semi-Final: Damarell vs. Greaves
This match is, without question, the most searched-for and talked-about moment of Jade Damarell’s career to date. Beau Greaves had been on a historic run, dominating the women’s game with a scoring power that was simply on another level. Many expected the semi-final to be a comfortable victory for the champion.
Jade Damarell had other ideas.
From the very first leg, it was clear that Damarell was not intimidated. She matched Greaves blow for blow, her own scoring looking smooth and effortless. She took the first set with a display of clinical finishing, sending a shockwave through the Lakeside crowd. The champion was in a real fight. The drama intensified throughout the match. Greaves, as all great champions do, responded by raising her own game, but Damarell refused to buckle. The match became a showcase of her greatest strengths:
Unyielding Composure: Despite the immense pressure and the formidable opponent, Damarell’s rhythm and demeanour never wavered. She remained a picture of calm, a quality that visibly frustrated her opponent at times.
Clinical Finishing: She was lethal on her doubles. In darts, scoring puts you in a position to win, but finishing wins you the leg. Damarell repeatedly hit crucial doubles with her first dart, punishing any mistake from Greaves.
Quiet Defiance: She let her darts do the talking. There was no histrionics, just a relentless focus on the board. She pushed Greaves to a deciding fifth set, a position the champion had rarely found herself in during her reign.
In the end, Greaves’s prodigious scoring power just managed to see her over the line in a 3-2 thriller. But the result almost felt secondary. Jade Damarell had lost the match, but she had won the respect of the entire darting world. She had proven that Beau Greaves was beatable and, in doing so, had established herself as a genuine top-tier contender. It was a career-defining performance born from years of quiet dedication, a moment where the Dark Rose truly bloomed under the brightest lights.
Deconstructing the Dart Player: A Style Analysis
What makes Jade Damarell so effective on the oche? Her game is not built on explosive power but on a foundation of rhythm, repetition, and mental fortitude.
The Throwing Style
Her throw is wonderfully smooth and orthodox. It’s a simple, repeatable action with very few moving parts, which is the key to consistency in darts. There’s no snatching or lunging; it’s a fluid extension of the arm that allows for incredible accuracy, particularly when switching between targets on the board (for example, from the treble 20 to the treble 19). This technical soundness means her throw is less likely to break down under pressure.
Temperament and Demeanour
This is perhaps her most significant asset. Darts is a sport played as much in the mind as it is on the board. Damarell’s calm and collected nature is a huge advantage. She doesn’t get visibly flustered by a poor score or a missed double. This emotional stability allows her to reset quickly and focus on the next throw, preventing one bad leg from spiralling into a bad set. While some players feed off the energy of the crowd, Damarell seems to operate in her own bubble of concentration, a trait shared by many of the sport’s all-time greats.
Scoring and Finishing
While not possessing the same relentless 180-hitting capacity as Beau Greaves, Damarell is a very capable scorer who builds pressure with a steady stream of 100s and 140s. Where she truly excels is in her finishing. Her performance at the World Championship demonstrated an ability to take out crucial, match-altering checkouts under the most intense pressure. Her confidence on the outer ring is palpable, and it’s this clinical edge that makes her such a dangerous opponent.
What is Jade Damarell’s Nickname and Walk-On Song?
Nickname: Her moniker is “The Dark Rose.” This is a wonderfully evocative nickname that fits her persona perfectly. A rose is a symbol of elegance and beauty, reflecting her smooth, aesthetically pleasing throw. The “dark” element adds a layer of mystique and danger, suggesting a competitor with hidden thorns, ready to prick the ambitions of her opponents. It captures the contrast between her calm exterior and her fierce competitive spirit.
Walk-On Song: Damarell walks on to the iconic “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado. This is a brilliant choice that adds another dimension to her character. The confident, predatory theme of the song contrasts sharply with her quiet demeanour on the oche. It’s a statement of intent, a signal to her opponent and the crowd that beneath the calm exterior lies a player who is there to hunt for victory. The walk-on is a crucial part of a darts player’s identity, and hers is one of the most memorable in the women’s game.
What Darts Does Jade Damarell Use?
For amateur players and enthusiasts, a professional’s equipment is always a major point of interest. Jade Damarell is sponsored by Loxley Darts, a popular and respected manufacturer. She uses her own signature Loxley “The Dark Rose” darts.
These darts are precision-engineered to her specifications. They are typically a straight-barrel design made from high-density tungsten, featuring a combination of grip patterns to suit her specific finger placement and release. Fans can purchase these darts, and they are highly sought after by those who admire her smooth, rhythmic throwing style.
The Rivalry: Jade Damarell vs. Beau Greaves
While still in its early stages, the semi-final at Lakeside laid the foundation for what could be a defining rivalry in women’s darts for years to come. For a sport to thrive, it needs compelling rivalries, and Damarell’s performance proved she has the game to consistently challenge the dominant force. Their styles are a fascinating contrast: Greaves’s explosive, almost overwhelming scoring power versus Damarell’s methodical pressure and clinical finishing. Every future meeting between these two will now be a must-watch event.
Damarell’s Place in the Golden Era of Women’s Darts
Jade Damarell’s emergence is not happening in a vacuum. She is a key figure in what is arguably a golden era for women’s darts. The landscape has been transformed in recent years by trailblazers like Fallon Sherrock, who broke barriers at the PDC World Championship, and Lisa Ashton, who has consistently proven she can compete with the best men.
Beau Greaves then took the sport to a new level with her unprecedented dominance. However, a sport needs more than just one superstar. It needs depth, it needs challengers, and it needs rivalries. Players like Jade Damarell, Rhian O’Sullivan, Aileen de Graaf, and Deta Hedman provide exactly that. They ensure that the women’s tour is not a foregone conclusion, creating a more compelling and competitive product for fans. Damarell represents the new wave of talent, a player who has benefited from the increased visibility and opportunity in the women’s game and is now ready to carry the torch forward.
A Future Forged in Steel and Silk
Jade Damarell’s story is a compelling blend of steel and silk. The silk is her throw smooth, elegant, and effortless. The steel is her mind unflappable, composed, and forged in the competitive fires of countless matches. She is a player who proves that in the high-pressure world of darts, the quietest person in the room can often be the most dangerous.
Her journey from the leagues of Cornwall to a World Championship semi-final is a testament to perseverance and self-belief. The epic clash with Beau Greaves was her coronation, not as a champion, but as a legitimate and feared contender. The “Dark Rose” is no longer a bud; she has bloomed on the biggest stage of all. And as she continues her ascent, the entire darting world will be watching, waiting for her to claim the prize that her talent so clearly suggests is within her grasp: a major championship title.
FAQs
What was the personal context surrounding her death?
Jade had ended her eight-month relationship with her boyfriend Ben Goodfellow, also a skydiver just the night before her final jump. Notes by Ben indicated that they “had ended their relationship the night before.”
Did she leave any messages or notes before she died?
Yes. Investigators found that her phone’s lock screen had instructions on how to access it after her death. On the device were notes to her family, apologizing, thanking them for their support, and including details about her finances.
How did her family respond?
Her parents Liz and Andrew Samuel described Jade as “brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary.” They expressed gratitude for the support from the skydiving community, saying it was comforting to learn how deeply loved and admired she was.
Why is her story being widely reported?
The tragic circumstances of an experienced skydiver intentionally foregoing safety sparked a broader dialogue about mental health, grief, and the importance of compassionate support. Her death also highlights risks that may go unseen even in high-skill, high-adrenaline communities.
In Summary
The story of Jade Damarell is both heartbreaking and eye-opening. As a highly skilled skydiver with over 500 jumps to her name, her passing highlights that even the strongest and most adventurous individuals can struggle silently with emotional pain. The circumstances of her death, deliberately choosing not to deploy her parachute have left many shocked, but they also serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of mental health awareness and open conversations.
Her family’s decision to speak about her loss with honesty and courage has encouraged others to confront the stigma around mental health and suicide. Beyond the tragedy, Jade’s life is remembered as one filled with adventure, courage, and inspiration, while her death has become a call for compassion, empathy, and support for anyone experiencing similar struggles.
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