Laois darts sensation is set to sparkle at junior finals in Blackpool

HAVING just completed her leaving certificate at Heywood Community School in Ballinakill, Co Laois, Rebecca Allen quickly focused her attention on the more pressing matter of the summer darts calendar.

The 17-year-old darts sensation splits her time between Ballyroan in Laois and Graiguecullen  and represents Carlow County Youth Darts.

This coming Sunday, she will compete in the Junior Darts Corporation Girls Series Final at the iconic Winter Gardens Theatre in Blackpool, England.

Nicknamed ‘Sparkles’, Rebecca is one of the top junior darts players in Ireland and has been making waves on the international circuit in recent years. One of her fellow underage stars and good friend, Mitchell Lawrie from Scotland, gave her the nickname at a tournament after noticing her fondness for shiny accessories.

“I can’t even remember exactly what it was, but we were at a tournament somewhere and because I am always wearing glittery things all the time, he just turned around and said something about it, and everyone just started laughing and it just stuck,” Rebecca explains.

Rebecca has already amassed an impressive honours list in her relatively short career both nationally and internationally. She was the first-ever winner of the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) Junior Power League, was a two-time bronze medallist at the Europe Cup, and, in 2025, she was crowned Girls World Open and Girls World Masters Champion.

Rebecca first picked up a dart during the Covid pandemic, having been inspired by her mother and her brother who were both keen players in their own right, but it wasn’t until after the restrictions were lifted and face-to-face competition returned that her passion was truly sparked.

“During lockdown then you could play these online tournaments, so I tried those out, but they weren’t for me. But then when I could actually go to tournaments in real life, I was like ‘okay, maybe this is for me’,” she said.

The Winter Gardens, one of the most famous darting theatres in the world, has become the spiritual home of women’s darts on the PDC calendar, and is where the Women’s World Matchplay has been hosted since its inception in 2022.

Rebecca is no stranger to the iconic venue, having competed there in previous years, and says that experience will hopefully stand to her.

“I think I was a bit more scared then, because I thought ‘Oh, this is the biggest stage ever’, but I feel more comfortable now going into it this year,” she said.

She is also familiar with her opponent in the final, Macy Gibbons, having competed against her regularly in tournaments in the UK over the past few years.

“It’s tit for tat – she wins some, I win some,” Rebecca says, adding that she won’t let their acquaintance get in the way come Sunday.

“Darts is a very lonely sport. It is kind of just you against whoever, and you can’t really let friendships get in the way of it.” 

 Looking ahead to the future, Rebecca is fully set on taking the darts dream as far as it can go and will be aided in that dream by her sponsor Winmau, one of the biggest names in darts equipment. A Winmau sponsorship is often seen as an indicator that a junior player is viewed as a serious prospect for the future.

“Plan A is definitely trying to go professional and Winmau have supported me a lot in that way, so they will try and make sure they can do everything to help me get there,” she says.

Head of Community at Winmau, Ben Rose, said the darts equipment manufacturer’s aim for sponsored players is “to provide young players with a structured pathway, along with meaningful on-stage opportunities that deliver a great experience and that help shape the future of darts”.

He added: “This is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of the hard work, dedication and talent that Rebecca has shown throughout the season.”