EMMA Pearce's hopes of qualifying for the inaugural PDC Unicorn World Women's Darts Championship final were ended at Barnsley's Metrodome.

The 26-year-old, from Trent Vale, was striving to make it into July's Grand Final at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, where the winner will bank £10,000.

But Pearce came unstuck in the first round on Saturday, as she suffered a 4-3 defeat to Finland's Marika Juhola, who stormed into a 2-0 lead.

Pearce clawed the contest back to 2-2 before losing the fifth leg and hitting back again to take the match into a decider, which Juhola claimed.

Pearce said: "I lost the first leg after having 12 darts to win it, so that was disappointing.

"If I had won that first leg it would have boosted my confidence and I'm sure I would have won.

"I got back into it, but in the deciding leg she hit 140 and I let it slip by only responding with 60.

"I was a little bit nervous and couldn't help thinking about the £625 prize money on offer for winning the match.

"But I enjoyed the experience and I'll definitely be back to have another go."

Pearce plays for Cheshire and is a two-time Staffordshire Open winner. She has also won the Yorkshire Classic.

More than 500 women entered the Worlds this year and Pearce qualified for the penultimate stages by winning her regional heat in Wolverhampton.

"This experience has made me even more determined to do well next year because I feel I'm at the same standard as the other players who were at Barnsley," added Pearce.

"I've got a realistic chance in 12 months, but I've got to start practising more, rather than relying on match play."

STEVE SHAW